


I Swear, I Promise

by MissyLeyneous, PockiehGame



Category: Original Work, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Cinnamon Roll Papyrus, Did I mention that there might be smut?, Don't panic all non-con/rape is in the past/nightmare/flashbacks only calm down., Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Graphic Description, Inspired By Undertale, Mild Smut, My First Undertale Fanfic, Neutral Route (Undertale), No More Resets, Rape/Non-con Elements, Slow Burn, Triggers, Violence, Where's Frisk?, too pure
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-15
Updated: 2016-02-29
Packaged: 2018-05-14 00:57:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 40,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5723536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissyLeyneous/pseuds/MissyLeyneous, https://archiveofourown.org/users/PockiehGame/pseuds/PockiehGame
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A strange alternative version of the human world collides with the Underground. No one knows any different... that is, except for Sans. Frisk didn't come around this time. In fact, nothing seems to be going as usual. It's a nice change, but of course...</p><p>W e  c a n  n e v e r  h a v e  a n y t h i n g  n i c e ?  C a n  w e ?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. That Dandelion

**Author's Note:**

> Baby's first public fanfic! Huzzah! It's been beta read by my Grammar-Nazi-Angel Apollo and my sister Pockieh. Thanks guys! Please, PLEASE, leave constructive criticisms, ideas, and any thoughts you have in the comments! I'll read and learn from all of them! Thanks! Enjoy!
> 
> EDIT: For those concerned about the rape/non-con tag... All scenes depicting such content are in flashbacks and nightmares only, there are no 'in the present moment' scenes. That's all I can really say about that without spoiling things, so don't be too scared to read or triggered. However, if at any point you think something is a little too much, let me know in the comments. I can try to mellow it out. It isn't my intention to trigger anyone with this work. Thank you.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein our protagonist awakes in a strange place...

        **~1~**  /watch?v=hhSA9H9Iaqw

          A dull pounding in the back of Claire's skull made her realize that she hadn't been dreaming, even before she opened her eyes. Barely awake, she tried to remember how she had gotten the headache, and images blurred through her frazzled consciousness. _'That's it... I was running... and hid down in the cave... and...'_   A sharp pain laced up her neck to her head, and she failed to stifle a small cry.

          "Aaaugh... shit..." She suddenly became aware that she was in a plush bed. _'These aren't the blankets they use at the KILN...'_   She grimaced at the memories that flooded back to her. The King's Initiative Laboratory Network had functioned as both her home and prison, until she grabbed her sheath and ran away...

  
        _'My sheath...!'_   She bolted upright in the fear that someone had disarmed her, or worse, but she instantly regretted the reaction. Pain laced around her torso, neck, and shoulders. Bruises ached from where that bastardized dandelion creature had tried to suffocate her. She stood with gritted teeth and searched the darkness. The room was a bright shade of coral, which amplified the slim bar of light coming from under the door, making it easy to see. _'A children's room...?'_   There, on a dresser, she made out the outline of her sword sheath. She gingerly tested her legs, thinking that she should definitely feel worse than she did. She distinctly remembered hearing bones breaking.

          She pet her hand across the smooth surface of the kukri sheath. It was made of cherry wood, varnished until it glowed a nearly black ruby color, capped and collared with intricate silver work, and wrapped in braided black leather. Her hands shook slightly as she took it in her grip. This is what allowed her to escape. This sheath was everything to her... Life. Freedom. Power...

          She started to slide it into the notch at her belt, and discovered that she was in girl's pajamas. A small sigh escaped her lips. She instinctively clutched the sheath in her left hand, unwilling to put it down even for a moment. Rubbing the sand from her ebony eyes, she tip-toed to the door, awakened senses finally kicking in, bringing with them more aches and pains. A sweet smell wafted from the hallway outside; she recognized cinnamon, but the rest was foreign. The cafeteria at KILN didn't host sweets very often, and when they did it was usually fruit-flavored gelatin cups.

          She peeked her head out from the doorway and the door squeaked noisily. A bustling that had been going on in the kitchen stopped abruptly. She silently cursed herself for not being better at stealth. She had always preferred barging headfirst into obstacles, and had, for the most part, refused stealth training. Muffled foot-steps sounded across the floor at the other end of the house, and she left the door open behind her as she stepped sideways into an offensive stance. She was sure by this point that whoever brought her here didn't intend to hurt her, but experience had taught her that one can never be too careful, even to the point of borderline paranoia.

  
          Whatever aggression she had before faded away into pure astonishment as the figure stepped out into the living room. Pure white hair -- or rather fur -- floppy ears, a muzzle and short, rounded-off horns, a purple gown, mismatched oven mitts and... the expression of a warm smile?

          "Hello, small one," the soft, feminine voice called out.

          "H-h......Wha....I...." She stammered, breathless.

          "Now, now... Calm down. I'm sure you'll have a lot of questions to ask, but why don't we sit down for some tea first?" She placed a paw behind Claire's back and gently guided her down the hallway and gestured to the dining table. "Have a seat, I've made us some cinnamon-butterscotch pie, and it should be almost done. I do hope you like cinnamon and butterscotch?"

          She paused for a moment, searching for the right words. "I... I honestly don't... know."

          A look of bewilderment crossed her face, but she smiled again and returned to the kitchen to fetch the refreshments she had promised. The room was sleepily warm. A fire crackled and spit in the fireplace; but, upon a second look, Claire noted that there wasn't any wood in the fire. An arrangement of other-worldly blue flowers let off a subtle perfume from the center of the table. The bookshelf and a large sofa-chair were the only other two furnishings in the room: both looked old and worn, and the books were all hardbound and smelled of yellowing paper. Within minutes, the smell from the kitchen became overwhelming. She salivated profusely but remained rooted to the chair.

  
          "Here we are... I do hope you like it." The furred woman spoke gently as she set tea cups and a kettle down on the table, placing a floral potholder underneath the kettle. She poured the tea and made a second trip to deliver two large slices of... _'Oh my god.'_ It wasn't bad enough that Claire hadn't eaten in over a week, or that her rations had been halved for the three months prior to her escape, or that the food she did receive was malnutritious... No, this was some sort of delectable, hot pudding in a crust, baked in a real oven, made most likely from scratch and not procured from a box or a tube...

  
          Claire suddenly became embarrassingly aware that a drop of saliva had fallen from her mouth and she wiped her face on her sleeve, blushing. "What... What do you call it, again?" She asked tentatively.

  
          The furry woman giggled. "Why... it is a cinnamon-butterscotch pie. A family recipe. Don't tell me you---"

          Claire cut her off. "I haven't eaten in over a week. I've never had pie before. Or tea. I... Please... uh... excuse me..." She couldn't even bring herself to look at the woman, only staring at the steaming pie slice. Setting the sheath across her lap, she reached out with her other hand, scooted the plate closer, and grabbed up the fork. Greed became apparent in her eyes. She'd already stuffed her face with a large chunk of pie, and then another, and then another... It was still too hot to eat but she didn't care; it was the most heavenly thing she had ever eaten in her entire life. Halfway through, tears welled up unbidden at the corners of her eyes, as the realization of freedom hit hard. She wasn't trapped in KILN anymore; she was eating the first real meal of her life. She swallowed a thick mouthful of pie and sobbed into her hands.

          "Oh my goodness, my child. There, there... it's okay..." The bewildered woman pet Claire's black hair with her paw. "You must feel so dreadfully lost and confused..." She whispered.

          "I... I..." Claire sniffled, trying to stuff away the rest of what could have been a huge, blubbering episode. "I don't know who you are, or where I am, but that doesn't matter... I'm finally free. I can go wherever I want! I can be halfway across the world by---" The smile on the woman's face had noticeably darkened. _'Oh no... no no no...'_ Claire's gleeful face took on a cast of panic, and her heart fluttered like a bird in a cage.

  
          "My child... I am very sorry. You will not be able to leave this place."

          She tried to stand from the chair, but a paw reached over and forced her back down with surprising strength. Desperate rage welled up inside of her. "Do not assume that I am the one holding you here. You are free to leave my home at any time. Please allow me to explain myself. My name is Toriel, and you are in the Ruins."

  
          Ashamed, she muttered a small 'okay' and continued eating as Toriel spoke. She recited a legend about Monsters, and how they had lost a great war with the Humans, who sealed them all in this mountain with a magical barrier. "Anything with a soul can come here through the barrier...but nothing can leave. We have all been trapped down here for a long time."

  
           A time when Humans had been proficient at magic? According to the history books Claire had read, it had been estimated that, thousands of years ago, humans had access to magical technologies, but fragments of that knowledge were few and far between. Humanity had just begun new research into magic several decades ago. Lost in thought, she jumped when Toriel asked who she was.

  
          "Oh, I-I'm sorry, Toriel. My name is Claire Vincent. I guess I should tell you about myself now, huh?"

          Toriel nodded and said softly that she would like to hear more.

          "Well, um... I'm not actually a child, you know," she corrected, and Toriel nodded. "I'm 19... I'll turn 20 in about a month from now. I don't actually know what day it is... Today, I mean..." She rambled on. She wasn't usually this nervous and fumbling, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she wanted to impress Toriel. It was a most unusual feeling, because she had spent most of her later years hiding her accomplishments from her elders.

  
          In the hope that they would hold her back, and that she wouldn't become what they wanted her to be; the thing she was born to be.

  
          "I'm from a place called King's Initiative Laboratory Network, or KILN, for short... They made me." Toriel's brow furrowed in questioning, so Claire had to explain to her how humans were experimenting with lost magics -- what they called Eldritch Magic -- and how she was "born". The humans had acquired a piece of a "demon's" soul (which Claire knew now was most likely a piece of a monster soul) and had injected it into an infant. Claire's mother died in childbirth, and her father was a faceless donor. Shame weighed down on her bruised neck as Toriel tried to hide her horror behind her paws.

          "They get their funding from the military, so in order to fund the project they promised to turn me into a weapon called a SWORD... a Sentient Weapon Or Restrained Demon... That place was my prison, Toriel. They trained me to fight with all kinds of weapons and magic. They taught me science and history. It was my home for the longest time, but soon I grew old enough to understand the ramifications of my own existence. They came to fear me, and... and I ran away." She finished awkwardly. It wasn't the complete truth, but it was close enough that it would do.

  
          "Oh, child..." Small tears had welled up in the corners of her furry eyes, and she brushed them away.

          "You are safe from the humans, here. At least you can get some form of respite."

  
          Claire nodded, and the queasy look she had faded into seriousness. "I remember jumping down into that cave -- or, sinkhole? There were pillars, and it looked like a room had fallen in. I hid in there to escape the humans who were chasing me with their dogs. Then... well, maybe I hit my head or something, because there was a talking, flower-plant thing that tried to choke me," Claire recounted with a touch of incredulous-ness. "Slammed my head against the wall... Damn thing got me from behind and laughed about it."

  
          "Language, please," Toriel chided. Claire mumbled an apology under her stern glare. "No, my child. You weren't dreaming. There was a creature attacking you when I found you, but it saw me and fled back underground as quickly as it came. You were in such bad shape... I did as much as I could, and the pie should help heal you, too."

  
          "I never was very good at healing magic. I can't mend bones, but I can heal flesh wounds pretty well..." Claire drifted the conversation away into different topics of her education, noting that her favorites were anatomy, magic, botany, and sword play. Toriel noted that she had always wanted to be a teacher, which somehow wasn't surprising.

  
          Toriel glanced uneasily down to the sheath in Claire's lap at the topic of swordplay. "Do you mind if I ask you about that sword sheath you carry?" Claire's fingers curled instinctively around the leather bindings.

  
          "It's like... it's a leash, kind of. Whoever wields it can control me, because part of my soul was bound to it. I had to steal it from them to get away. I feel... complete with it."

  
          Toriel nodded, but her brow was furrowed, as if she was lost in thought. "Oh, by the way," she looked up at Claire with her doe-like eyes, "Where are my clothes? I'd like to get dressed."

  
          "Oh, of course," Toriel sighed absent-mindedly. "I have them washed and ready for you. Let me get them. You may come with me if you want."

 

 _'How long was I out for...?'_   Claire gave a polite smile and nodded, wondering to herself. Somehow, this smile felt more genuine than any polite gesture she'd ever given before.

  
          Just outside the front door to the home was a wash-bin and a clothes line, hung with Claire's garments. Dark, stained, and rough jeans, plain, black socks, similar underwear, a C-sized bra, and a black, crew-cut shirt with a complex Celtic triquetra knot emblazoned in silver on the front. She wore her favorite outfit the day she decided to escape, because she knew that it would be the only one that she could take with her. Her black, KILN-issued boots were nestled in a corner by the door with her black, studded belt complete with her trusty shivs. Wrapped in torn shirt materials and wire, they were just the sharpened blades from a pair of child's scissors, complete with the blue plastic handles on the bottom. Draped on the far clothes line pole was her black suede jacket. It had a long tail that was frayed, zippered pockets on the front, and a pointed collar, but it was scuffed up pretty badly from the earlier assault. "Aww, Toriel... You left me my shivs."

  
          "Against my better judgement, yes. I did." She eyed Claire carefully.

  
          Claire smiled gleefully back at her. "Oh, don't look so sour. You practically saved my life. There's no way I'd attack you, Toriel. I'm gonna go get dressed." She bundled up her things in her arms and packed them inside to the kid's room to change. Toriel giggled and patted Claire on the shoulder, but something about her demeanor implied that she was still saddened.

  
          Back in her own clothes, Claire felt much more at ease, like she was back in her own second skin. The kukri sheath slid easily into place at her left hip, and her jacket fell around her shoulders. Suddenly overwhelmed with confidence, her boots thudded the floor as she left the room to show Toriel the completed outfit.

  
          "Oh, my child, your hair is such a mess. Let me comb it for you." She procured a comb from a small side-table beside the sofa-chair.

  
          "Uh, Toriel, I can--" She shushed and insisted, turning Claire around gently with her paws so that she could detangle her hair.

  
          "Ow... ow... ow..." Claire winced and muttered under her breath, but soon her hair was tangle-free, and Toriel could part it with ease down the center and let it fall down past her shoulders. _'This must be what it feels like... to have a mom.'_   Trying to quell the burning sensation that welled up in her lungs and failing, Claire's voice cracked when she spoke again. She asked Toriel when she could meet the other people: the other Monsters.

  
          "Oh, well, you see... It's difficult to..." She closed her eyes and set the comb down on the table. When she opened them, her eyes were filled with... pain? "I have to go do something. Please excuse me. Stay here."

  
          Claire never was any good at obeying orders, so as soon as Toriel rounded the stairs down, she was immediately behind her. She had noticed these stairs before but hadn't paid them much mind, assuming they just led to a basement or another floor. A tunnel stretched out ahead, leading into darkness, but a torch was moving ahead of her. She followed the torch, and discovered it was Toriel holding a floating ball of fire as a light source. She looked back and glared at Claire fiercely.

  
          "Go back upstairs, small one! I must stop this once and for all."

  
          She was surprisingly quick and Claire had to run to catch up with her. Panting, She looked up to a huge door, with the same runic symbol that Toriel wore on her gown. The symbol seemed so familiar, yet she was sure she hadn't seen it before.

  
          "Please, go back. If you leave here, they will... Asgore will kill you."

  
          "Toriel, please tell me what's going on. I deserve as much." Toriel grimaced and looked away from her.

  
          "Fine. I am the only resident of the Ruins. I left to guard this place to keep humans from wandering to their dooms. Asgore is collecting their souls. He intends to use them to break the barrier. I have seen it time and time again. Humans come, they leave, they die." Again, tears welled up in her eyes. "Small one... Claire. Please do not make the same mistake."

  
          Claire giggled a warm laugh. "Toriel. Please don't fear for me. I can protect myself."

  
          To which she snorted, "You naive child, you--"

  
          Claire closed her left eye, and her right eye turned. The blackness spread from the pupil to coat the entire eye, turning it jet. A black aura pulsed around one of her hands. "Toriel... They feared me, and they called be a Witch. They called me Claire Vincent the Draconic. I am more than capable of protecting myself." She closed her open eye and clenched her fist, and the aura receded. When she opened both her eyes they were normal again. Toriel appeared to have conceded, but she continued anyway.

          "I've... I've never made a promise before. To anyone, for anything... But I promise you this, now, Toriel." She had no idea what sort of feelings pushed her to do and say these things now, but the emotion was so strong, it nearly had a mind of its own. She felt _determined_ to do this. Toriel looked up at Claire with despair and pleading in her eyes. "Whatever causes you this pain... if it needs fixing, I _will_ fix it... And, if it needs breaking, I _will break it_."

  
          "Oh, child." Toriel was on the brink of sobbing, now. "Please do not make promises you cannot keep." And, with that, she gave Claire a warm, squeezing hug. Toriel walked away, and, without looking back, she added, "But I truly hope you can."

  
        _'Don't you cry now... No no no no...'_   For the second time today, Claire stuffed back a sob. She was going to have to find some real alone time soon and just get it out, but, for now, bottling it up seemed like a better option. The door had no handles or knobs, so she pushed, and it came open rather easily and silently. A gentle breeze sucked through the corridor, as though it was pushing her forward. She stepped to the other side to another corridor with a similar door on the far end. The doors shut behind her on their own. She could see her breath in front of her face now, illuminated by a faint light from ahead. As she walked it got colder, until she could no longer hold back a shiver. Claire pushed on the second door...

          And tripped into snow.

 

* * *

 

 

          **~1.1~** /watch?v=nlC5xRsl6Nk

          _"~...if it needs fixing... I will fix it... and if it needs breaking... I will break it...~"_   He listened to the words echo from behind the runic door to the Ruins. This wasn't the familiar voice he had heard time and time again... having this exact conversation. This was something new, an anomaly. _"~...oh, child... but I truly hope you can...~"_   Hope. Now there was something he hadn't seen much of in a long time...

 _'Let's see how this one plays out...'_   He thought as he crunched away in the driving snow.


	2. Slippery Snail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein mysteries, puzzles, awkwardness, triggers, and feels await thee!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Trigger warning: implied non-con/rape and violence/gore in 2.1)

** ~2~**  **/watch?v=Os7eR7vNj4g**

  
          "OH MY FUCK IT'S SO COLD!" Claire screamed at the top of her lungs. She had spent 19 years inside of a climate controlled laboratory, and rarely ever got to go outside. Because of that, her flesh was pale, and she was very unused to changes in temperature. Shivering wildly, she rubbed her hands against her arms and plodded through the snow. She realized with a start that she hadn't even seen snow before, except for on the distant mountain peak, but never up close and personal.

          "It w-would almos-s-st b-be pret-t-ty..." _'If it wasn't so damn cold!'_   She was talking to herself again. The habit got her in trouble more times then she could remember. She couldn't help it; she didn't have very many people she could talk to, and the ones she used to have were few and far between.

  
          And now, she was back to having no one. She wondered if it might be better that way. Everyone she had ever known had grown to fear her, she realized. _'Who needs friends like that, anyway?'_   She stopped in front of a crude bridge with pillars going across it at a weird angle. She considered using her aura to just fly over. But then, she heard snow crunch behind her. Directly behind her.

  
          Her thoughts raced; she should have heard them coming; how had they gotten so close so quickly; her hand instinctively darted to her shivs, but she froze when she heard a bass, gravelly voice. "H u m a n."

  
          She was relieved to find that she wasn't dead, yet. She tried to see the source of the voice of out her peripheral, but he was so close to her that she couldn't see him without turning around.

  
          "D o n' t  y o u  k n o w  h o w  t o  g r e e t  a  n e w  p a l ?  T u r n  a r o u n d  a n d  s h a k e  m y  h a n d ."

          Stiffly, she turned, her jaws clenched shut. She could just barely see his outline, bathed in shadows from the surrounding forest. (She was fascinated by how a forest could grow in a cave, but she couldn't think about that right now.) The figure reached out his hand and without looking down, she took it in hers...

  
          ...And nearly jumped out of her skin. A loud, obnoxious fart noise echoed across the snowy landscape.

          "Wh-wha-what." She stammered in shock, and was suddenly aware that her hand had gripped into a vice on his... phalanges? _'Oh my fuck. It's a skeleton.'_   She jerked her hand away and stepped back towards the bridge. The wood creaked below her. A clod of snow fell into the darkness below and vanished.

          "heheh... the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. it's always funny." Claire didn't know a lot about comedy, but she was pretty sure location and timing were important elements.

          "For you maybe..." She whispered.

  
          "huh... anyways, you're a human, right?" She hesitated, but nodded; her blood was still thudding in her ears. "that's hilarious. i'm sans. sans the skeleton." Now she could see it; the odd outline she had seen before came into focus. He was a head taller than Claire, a beefy skeleton wearing a blue jacket and slacks. Two tiny pinpricks of light moved inside his eye sockets and it became clear that those were his eyes...

          "it's rude to stare you know." She stepped backwards, blushing, muttering an apology, and slipped off of the bridge.

  
          "FUUUUUU---!" Acting on reflex, she gripped her right wrist with her left hand, pointing the right palm downward, and allowed black aura to pulse from her palm like a blast from a cannon. A soft _whoom_ echoed across the forest as she was catapulted to the far side of the bridge and behind a wooden shelter. The rest of the expletive was choked away by the snowbank she landed face first into.

  
          Sans stepped calmly across the bridge and was soon met by another, even taller, yet skinnier, skeleton clad in a red-orange cape. She couldn't help but listen to them go back and forth, once she had removed the snow from her ears; then she wondered why there were condiments in a sentry station.

  
          "sup, bro?"

          "YOU KNOW WHAT 'SUP', BROTHER! IT'S BEEN EIGHT DAYS AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T.... RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES! YOU JUST HANG AROUND OUTSIDE YOUR STATION! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?!?"

  
          "staring at this lamp. it's really cool. do you wanna look?"

  
          "NO!! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT!! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE!!..." She listened to the egotistical one ramble on and on about capturing a human, and realized that Sans had stalled. If he had really wanted her captured, he would have attempted it earlier, without even making his presence known. Right out of the gate, someone had the upper hand over her. The thought caused her chest to burn with envy and embarrassment. Soon, the loud tall one laughed maniacally and ran away, and Sans voice jerked her from her thoughts.

  
          "ok, you can come out now." A grin was plastered to his skull. Now that he was out in the light, and she was out of the snow, she could see him in much better detail. She could see where his jaw connected to his skull and name the cervical vertebrae. Over his shirt she could just see the clavicle and the scapula behind it---

  
          "eyes up here, darlin'..." Suddenly, he was much closer to her than he had been a second ago, but again, she didn't hear the snow crunch.

  
          Blushing furiously, she stuttered. "H-how did you do that?"

  
          "hmm.... i could ask you the same thing..."

  
          _'Oh no. He saw. Oh nonono...'_   She visibly recoiled from the statement, and he closed his sockets and sighed. _'How in the even did he...?'_

  
          "don't worry, kiddo. your secret is safe with me. now my brother on the other hand, he's a human hunting fanatic. and if he were to discover a human with soul magic..."

          So many questions, so few answers. "Soul magic? Brother? Closing eye sockets? Walking skeletons? I think I'm dead. It would be easier to believe that I were dead. Ohmyfrickinfuck..." She rambled; it happens when she panics. She can't shut her mouth and her brain goes into overdrive.

  
          "must be a lot to take in, huh? you know what, i'll make you a deal. you play along with my brother's puzzles, and i'll treat you to Grillby's. sound cool?" He didn't wait for an answer as he walked back to the bridge, and suddenly it seemed like less of a request and more of a command. _'Why does everyone try to tell me what to do?'_

  
          "i'll be waiting for you up ahead." He called back to her.

  
          "Right." Claire sighed, turning to continue down the road, lost in thought. She could just barely hear water flowing, deciding there was probably a river nearby. Patches of blue flowers poked through the snow in places. They reminded her of the warmth of Toriel's house, and for a moment she thought she regretted leaving the Ruins. She saw and heard creatures move around in the forest, but none of them made any attempt to come close. She wasn't surprised, even the forest animals of the above world had kept their distance from her. Birds were chirping far away, and a delicate snow began to fall...

  
          She suddenly wondered what the bones of his feet looked like. She couldn't recall seeing any ligaments or tendons. _'Was it magic holding him together?'_   He called her power Soul Magic. _'Fine...'_   She affirmed it to herself. _'I'll play by his game for now, find out what this is all about, assess the true level of shit I'm in. That's the plan... that's...'_

          "SANS!! OH MY GOD!! IS THAT... A HUMAN?!" She had walked right into them. _'Too late for second thoughts now.'_   She stuffed her freezing hands in her pockets and put on her best poker face. It wasn't that good.

  
          "oh...probably. let's ask them." Sans offered, but the tall one was too busy monologuing about having finally captured a human, and being popular, to hear him.

  
          "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL STOP YOU! AND CAPTURE YOU! AND DELIVER YOU TO THE CAPITAL!! AND THEN...!! WELL CONTINUE ON ONLY IF YOU DARE!! NYEHEHEHEHEHEH!!!" Papyrus sprinted away again. She had to clamp her jaw to stifle a giggle. The sheer size of his ego was truly hilarious. She couldn't take him seriously even if she wanted to.

  
          "don't worry kiddo, i'll keep an eye socket out for you." Sans winked.

  
          "How in the literal FFF-" Claire huffed, because he was gone. This was going to be a long road. She was already cold down to the--- _'Nope.'_   She couldn't even finish the thought. She had already heard, and attempted to ignore, multiple bone-related puns already. She was supposed to be on serious business now. She had made a promise. As long as she was stuck down here, her main goal now was to make good on that promise.

  
          She looked up from the path and spotted Papyrus and Sans up ahead, waiting for her on the other side of a smooth square carved out of the snow. "OH-HO! THE HUMAN ARRIVES!"

  
          She raised a brow in silent questioning. Sans mirrored the gesture. She took a deep breath and signaled with the tiniest nod, eyes fixed on Papyrus. Sans closed his eyes and he looked... relieved? It was very difficult for her to tell, but that's the impression that she got.

  
          Papyrus explained that Claire had to cross this puzzle, an invisible electric maze. The player holds an orb, and if they touch the walls of the maze, the orb delivers a powerful electric shock. Papyrus was holding the orb, even as he told Claire to go on ahead. She reached out to the wall of the maze, and was surprised to find a smooth and cold, yet invisible, wall. As soon as she touched it, Papyrus received the promised shock. Her eyes widened in panic and flicked over to Sans, but he appeared unperturbed and even winked, again.

  
          "SANS WHAT DID YOU DO!!" Papyrus appeared unharmed, if not rather upset, so Claire calmed down.

  
          _'Oh... That's what the big deal is... he's protecting his brother...'_   Yet another foreign sensation tugged at her chest. She had met plenty of children, usually family of the people who work at KILN. She had desperately wished for a sibling at times. Her eyes watered, but her calm face remained.

  
          "i think the human has to hold the orb."

  
          "OH... OKAY." Papyrus walked through the maze leaving a trail of footprints in the snow so he could hand the orb to Claire. "HOLD THIS PLEASE!" Papyrus grinned down at her and she obliged, gazing into the glass-like orb thing. He then scampered like an excited child back across the maze, and told her to try again. Following the path he made felt like cheating to her, but there was no way she was going to intentionally let herself get shocked either.

  
          "YOU SLIPPERY SNAIL!!" The next puzzle was promised to be even more difficult than this one; he rambled and fled away laughing that narcissistic laughter.

  
          "hey, thanks... he seems like he's having fun."

  
          "You're welcome? I guess." She wondered why everything she said or did suddenly seemed so awkward.

  
          "relax a little kiddo. you seem on edge. you aren't in any real danger, y'know?" Her jaw slacked a little in disbelief. She tossed the orb into the snow haphazardly and rounded on him.

          "Yeah right, this coming from people whose entire job is to cap---"

  
          "A s  l o n g  a s  y o u  c o o p e r a t e ." His eyesockets had gone dark. The faint points of light were completely gone, and the deep gravelly voice Claire had heard before was back. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them his lights were back, judging her reaction. He chuckled lightly, and then sighed.

  
        Claire had leaped back several paces and slid into a defensive crouch. Her right eye was completely black. Snow was melting around her energized right hand where it met the ground to balance herself. Her expression was one of sheer panic. She didn't find his prank funny, not even in the _'wow that was a good jump-scare'_   sort of afterwards funny. "Don't you know..." She wheezed between strangled breaths, "That it's dangerous to try to scare a trapped animal? Especially when you're in the cage with me?"

  
          His everlasting grin faltered a little. "hmmm... maybe you're right, sorry kiddo. you understand though, don't you?" He asked.

          She didn't plan on sticking around to answer. Claire circled around him and sprinted in the direction Papyrus had taken. She didn't stop to wonder about the table with a plate of frozen spaghetti and an unplugged microwave on a stand out in the middle of the snow. She didn't stop when two upright dogs in executioner's garments sniffed at her. She didn't even stop at the next puzzle, but simply leaped over the spikes blocking the way. By that time, tears and condensation from her breath was already sticking to her hair and freezing, but she didn't stop.

  
          "HUMAN? HUMAN! WAIT!!" Papyrus called out to her when she sprinted past. As she leaped another set of spikes, she spotted Sans behind a large pine tree. She could definitely tell that his brow was furrowed and his sockets were half-lidded. Her vision blurred as another wave of sobs tore from her lungs.

  
          This was it. She was going to have a melt down, and she was determined to have it in peace. Her boots thudded over another small bridge and across some sort of grid, probably another puzzle. Soon, she reached a frozen pond that contained another puzzle, but slid right through it, stomping over rocks and switches. She slowed to a jog on the other side. She was out of breath. _'I need to be alone, truly alone... but where...?'_

  
          Claire spotted a trail leading down below a cliff face. She didn't see any prints in the snow, and it didn't seem like anybody had been down here in a long time. _'This will have to do.'_   She was reaching a breaking point. Slumped against the rock face, she crouched and buried her face in her knees. Biting on the suede of her jacket, her slightly over-long canines pierced the material. She wailed violently through her teeth. It was all too much for her. She had nothing, then suddenly everything, then just as quickly, nothing again. At least the KILN was familiar and predictable... This place was so alien and strange to her. Everything from the denizens to the weather was so foreign and so new that it hurt to think about it. She questioned everything; she couldn't help her own curiosity. But on top of it all, what hurt the most was how worthless she felt. She used to feel on top of the world, even when she was snared in their system. She never let them get the best of her, mentally. But now -- out here -- she had snapped. Black steam rose from her skin and flowed from the mouth of her sheath. She clutched at her hair with her hands, forcing her face down further. She cried and cried until she felt like she couldn't breath.

          "i've... i've been like that... a few times." His low voice whispered from several paces away.

Claire didn't even bother to look up. "How long have you been there?" Her voice cracked pitifully, but it was too late to feel ashamed now. Instead, where there would have normally been anger, only fatigue crept into her consciousness.

  
          "long enough. look, buddy, you should sleep it off." Before Claire could protest, he strode towards her with slow, cautious steps, and stretched out his hand. "hey look, no whoopee cushion this time... okay?"

  
          She made no attempt to reach out to him. "How can I trust you, or anyone else?"

  
          Sans sighed -- the sound coarse -- like someone who was frustrated. "i can't make you trust me. sometimes you just have to risk it. like i am by standing here like this. you could have attacked me or my brother right? but--"

  
          Sans flinched when Claire reached out her hand. She looked up just enough to see him and take his hand, but wouldn't look him in the face. His serious expression lightened ever so slightly. In a moment quicker than a blink, the scenery changed. She didn't have time to process it. Claire was suddenly standing before a cozy-looking building in a small village. Sans tugged her inside by the hand.

          "need a room, please." He said to the inn-keeper.

  
          Claire started to say that he didn't have to do that, but stopped herself. He looked back at her as if to confirm that he wasn't out of line. She gave him a small nod and he gestured up the stairs. "get some sleep, kiddo. see you tomorrow."

  
          "Hey... Sans."

  
          "yeah?"

  
          "Thanks."

  
          "no problem. my brother was really worried about you, ya'know?" Sans whispered.

  
          Claire shook her head almost imperceptibly. _'Why...?'_

  
          "he wouldn't really hurt you. he's too nice." He grinned softly and stepped back outside.

  
          Exhaustion began to overwhelm her. Everything that had happened to her over the last week was finally taking its toll. Wordlessly, she shuffled to the stairs and made her way to an open room, locking the door. She wondered if it was even worth locking the door. After all, Sans could just teleport in here if he wanted to and--

  
          She squished her eyes shut. _'No, you're being paranoid again.'_   She kicked off her boots as she made her way over to the bed. She drew her sheath from its holding place in her belt. Wriggling under the covers, she clutched the sheath to her chest as if it would float away. Thoughts raced through her exhausted mind, keeping her awake. She silently willed herself to sleep, and eventually she did.

 

* * *

 

 

 **~2.1~**   **/watch?v=CzM2oWtTAws**

  
          She was having that nightmare again. Being aware that it was a nightmare didn't make it any easier to handle, however. It was the same thing every time. That one elder -- she never even knew his name -- he had asked to see Claire again. She didn't want to see him again. He had hurt her in ways she hadn't even begun to imagine were possible. There he was again, sitting on the couch and patting his hand on the seat next to him. He was supposed to be her psychologist. They told her he was just making sure she was doing okay, mentally. They didn't believe her when she told them what he had already done three times. They thought she was just trying to get out of another of the many tasks they had laid out for her.

  
          "Leave me alone! I warned you! I told you...!"

  
          When she looked down, her hands were covered in a shell of black aura, like an armor. The claws of her black gauntlets were bright and shiny with blood. She could still smell it; metallic and sharp on the air. When she looked up, the walls were painted in a red spray, and various organs were strewn about. "I warned you..." She sobbed. Panic welled in her chest as she realized that this is what they had wanted all along. They want her to do this.

  
          They want her to kill.

  
          "...I... I don't want to... don't make me do this... DON'T...!!"


	3. Runaway Witch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Claire has a bad day...

** ~3~ /watch?v=F9Q2sQ91gjY**

  
          "AAAAAAUUUGH!!!"

          Claire bolted upright in the bed with sheets tangled around her limbs. Her own pitiful screams had woke her up. Relief washed over her as she fought to catch her breath. She flinched when a light knock sounded at the door.

  
          "Um, room service?" An unknown voice called.

  
          "S-sure, just a second." Within a moment, she had swung her legs off the bed and had kicked her boots back on. She ran her right hand through her messy hair; her left hand easily slid the kukri sheath back into the notch on her hip. She reflected for a moment on how good it felt to have control of her own Soul for once. _'Right where it belongs...'_   She thought absently as she stepped to the door.

  
          A child-sized bunny monster was there to greet her. "Sorry to bother you, miss. Sans left this here for you." The bunny boy handed Claire a bundle of black fabric to unravel. It was a worn scarf. There were even a few holes in it, but it was so long and still very plush.

  
          A note written on a napkin fell to the floor. [ _'See you at Grillby's.'_ ] She remembered agreeing, rather reluctantly, to meet him at that place. Inwardly, she groaned. _'This is just fantastic. I'm a wreck... How_ am _I supposed to deal with anyone in this state?'_

  
          "Thanks, hun." She whispered. Her hands were shaking.

          "Miss, are you okay?" The bunny's ears drooped.

          "Bad dream. I'll be okay." For once, she told the truth. She shook her head as if she didn't believe herself, and stepped past the child. She hesitated for a moment before wrapping the scarf around her neck a couple of times. She pulled the fabric up over her mouth and nose before stepping out into the cold.

  
          Instantly, she was blasted by the aroma of greasy food. She inhaled deeply before considering her options. _'I could go for a walk...'_   No mental argument could defeat the growling in her stomach, however. She found herself wandering toward the source of the delicious smells. "Grillby's" was written across the top of the building in large letters, making it a hard place to miss. Warm light streamed through the windows and turned the snow golden.

  
          Lively, muffled chatter turned quiet when she opened the door. The soft tinkle of a bell filled the quiet space. On instinct, she removed her empty hands from the pockets on her jacket and let them hang at her sides. It was a silent _'I'm unarmed.'_   gesture. Sans was sitting at the bar. She inhaled and held her breath for a moment before making her way across the room. The sound of her boots on the hardwood floor echoed in the stillness. Sans didn't even turn to look when she took the bar stool next to him. The chatter returned gradually. A man-shaped monster completely composed of red-orange flames stepped over to Claire to take her order.

          "What would you like today, miss...?" He was asking for her name.

  
          "I don't really know. Surprise me. Extra salt though, and a stiff drink." She said, trying desperately to keep her voice even. _'Chill and calm... Chill and calm...'_   They _never_ salted anything enough at KILN; it was supposed to be bad for the health. The booze was just to dull her racing mind. "My name's Claire Vi-- You know what? Just call me Claire." That last name wasn't any good to her now, anyway. She was sick of it. _'I almost prefer being called Witch.'_   She added silently.

  
          "Grillby. Pleasure to meet you." He raised Claire's hand from the bar with his. She flinched because she assumed he would burn her, but was surprised to find that he just felt warm. The warmth reminded her of Toriel's fireplace, and a knot formed in her stomach. Grillby raised her hand to where his mouth would be and left a light peck on her knuckles.

  
          It was all she could do to suppress the violent flushing and flash a polite smile. Grillby dipped his head and stepped away to prepare her vague order. Sans still hadn't said anything. A half-finished basket of fries drenched in ketchup sat in front of him. Claire took the opportunity to look around a little. Dogs were playing poker, a Rabbit was getting drunk, and there was a Duck and Fish chatting together. It was perhaps the strangest sight she had seen yet.

  
          Sans _still_ hadn't said anything. She adjusted the scarf around her neck. This was getting awkward fast. _'Maybe he's waiting for me to say something first?'_   She thought about what to say, but there was only one thing she could spit out.

  
"So how did you---"  
"so how did you---"

  
        _'This couldn't get any worse.'_   Grillby slid Claire a glass, a dressed burger, and fries. Immediately, she took the drink in hand and took a large, brave swig. She couldn't name the alcohol in it -- as she had never had any -- but she recognized lime and it was sweet. She nibbled on her fries in between sips.

  
          "so... magic, huh? and you're a human." He took a swig from the bottle of ketchup and glanced sideways at her.

  
          "It's a long story."

          "trust me, i have time."

          _'It's not that simple.'_   Is what she wanted to say, but her breath caught in her throat and her jaw trembled. With gritted teeth, she stared down at the ice in her drink. A warmth was building in her stomach; but she wasn't sure if it was from emotions or alcohol. "I ran from home."

  
          Sans gave a short nod, and said nothing further. Claire took this opportunity to dig into her burger. The grease ran into her mouth as soon as she bit into it, and suddenly her hunger took over. Chunk after chunk, she demolished it. The warmth in her stomach dulled; the meal was surprisingly filling. Afterwards however, she regretted her table manners. Sans peered sideways at her with an amused look.

  
          "better?" He chided. Exasperated, Claire could only sigh. "wanna go for a walk?"

  
          In response she raised her glass, downed it, and set it down hard. She swung from the bar stool, raised the scarf above her nose as before. Unperturbed, Sans tossed coins to the counter and followed. She slowed to a comfortable stride once she was outside so that he could walk beside her. _'How do I even begin? Why was it so easy with Toriel?'_

  
          "where did you live?" He asked her with no trace of humor. He asked short, simple questions. She gave him short, simple answers.

  
          "so you're part monster then? that's interesting." She let him lead her, watching his feet and not caring where they went. Right now, she thought his fluffy, blue slippers were more interesting than her.

  
          "Demon." She spat.

  
          Claire almost bumped into him, because he had stopped so suddenly. Sans shook his head with closed eyes and chortled.

  
          "i can prove otherwise." Turning to face her, he stretched out his hand again. When he opened his eyes, the left one was large, and glowing a startlingly bright blue. Her eyes locked on his, and the black of her right eye expanded to cover the orb. Without knowing why she was compelled to do so, she took his hand.

  
          In a blink, the temperature had switched from being extremely cold to intensely hot. She clawed the scarf from around her neck. "Holy mother of fuck it's so--"

  
          "hotland." He smirked at her confused grimace. "s'where we are." His eyes were back to being normal points of white light.

  
          _'More bad puns?'_   It was kind of funny though, and she couldn't suppress a nervous smile.

  
          He pressed a button to activate a speaker and knocked on a metal door. The sign above the door simply said 'Lab'.

          "hey Alphys, got a minute?"

  
          Her smile vanished. Claire stopped dead as she was tying the scarf around her waist. "No." Her voice came out firm for once.

  
          "i was asking Alphys." He didn't even turn around.

  
          "I'm not going in there." Her pulse quickened.

  
          "you don't want to know?" Sans didn't have to explain, she knew what he meant.

  
          Both of Claire's eyes had turned pitch, and a black mist crawled around her hands. "I spent nineteen agonizing years in a laboratory. Don't make me go in there. Don't... don't..." She was beginning to hyperventilate.

  
          Claire heard the beeping of a keypad and Alphys opened the door. "H-hey Sans, wha--" She had a nervous, feminine voice. "What's wrong?" Alphys looked like a yellow dinosaur in a lab coat and glasses. This whole situation was mildly ridiculous, but it did nothing to bring Claire down from her panic high.

  
          "hey Alphys, this is Claire. she's kinda freakin' out. i was hoping... ya'know... if you could help 'er out." He avoided Claire's piercing gaze.

  
          "It. Is. Justified." She spat between heaved breaths.

  
          Sweating profusely, Alphys visibly gulped and stepped forwards. "P-p-please c-calm down... W-whatever it w-was that happened to y-you... I p-promise it w-won't happen here." She had obviously overheard your outburst through the speaker in the wall.

  
          Claire wanted to believe them, but paranoia was already running rampant through her veins. She had trusted people before, and they had hurt her and lied to her. She wasn't prepared to be hurt again. A vision of bloody claws pulsed through her mind. She was going to have a panic attack. _'I don't want to hurt you...'_

  
          "Sans..." Her voice was warped and cracked with an overflowing power.

  
          The look he had was strained, and his blue eye flashed. "yeah." A bead of light blue sweat threaded down his jawbone.

  
          She wanted to trust him, but at the same time she was scared to trust anyone. It was a strange feeling. His words from yesterday echoed in her mind. _'~sometimes you just have to risk it.~'_  It took all of her strength of will to remove the kukri sheath from her belt and hold it out to him at arm's length. Her entire body was trembling. "Take this." Smokey tears streamed from her eyes. "Say... Sleep." This was it; she was losing it. She bit her lip until it bled, and the pain bought her a few more moments of sanity.

  
          Sans reached out and gripped the bindings. Instantly, a black chain formed from Claire's aura and wrapped around her neck like a choker. After a moment, the chain turned azure. The claws were just beginning to form on her hands when a pulse ran through her entire being.

  
          "sleep." Claire's aura dissipated like ashes on the wind.

  
          She blacked out.

 

* * *

 

 

 

          **~3.1~  /watch?v=E7WD3sxG8j0 (Sans POV)**

  
          "Sans... t-these readings... t-they can't be right!" Alphys was fumbling around with strips of paper that were printing from machines attached to the human. The human's jet black soul-heart hovered over their chest.

  
          "it's him, isn't it? that's the only explanation." Sans' expression was dark, as if he were remembering something particularly painful. Alphys only shook her head.

          "That m-might explain it but w-we need to know for s-sure... "

          "i'll ask him when i get the chance." Sans held up the sword sheath to inspect it. "i wonder if it works in reverse." Alphys waved her hands wildly and pleaded for him not to say anything, but he did it anyway.

  
          "hey buddy, wake up."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ten kudos in a day! It might not seem like much, but to me it means the world!  
> Thank you guys so much!  
> Please comment with your thoughts! :D


	4. Knock, Knock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Claire learns how to knock, knock; Undyne makes a cameo, good drugs, and who is 'he'??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's for Teddy. :D

          **~4~** **/watch?v=hx102NjYwqk**

  
          Claire numbly fumbled with the bed sheets on the cot. "Go away..." She mumbled to an elder who wasn't there. "I'm not going... not going to battle class today... leave me alone..." She tugged the sheets over her head. A low chuckle startled her awake, snapping her conciousness back into reality.

          "c'mon kiddo, you can get up now."

  
_'Fuck, my head...'_  She leaned up onto her elbow and clutched at the side of her skull with her other hand. A dull throbbing pounded from one side out through to the other. Alphys was just detaching the last wire from her body.

          "Y-you should know t-that I gave you a m-mild sedative. Y-you were having an a-anxiety attack. Monsters can lose c-control of their Soul P-power under extreme s-stress." She appologized profusely and scampered away muttering something about paperwork.

  
          Sans waited until Alphys had left to say anything else. "this is some neat thing you got here. lovin' the collar." He grinned at Claire with a devilish smirk.

  
_'Oh no, he still has...'_  She stretched out her open hand towards the sheath; it was in his grasp, and out of her reach. He was inspecting every detail in the fine silver work. She looked up to him with pleading eyes, increasingly aware of how intimidated she felt by him.

  
          "oh, you want this back? sure thing buddy, but i have a favor to ask of you first." She would do anything to have that sheath back. It meant more to her than words could say. It was a literal key to her soul, and she felt empty without it now.

  
          "Anything, whatever it is, just please..." _'Please, don't wield me...'_

          "stay around for a while." The softness of his voice shocked her. It was wildly different from the gravelly voice she had first heard or the laid-back bass he normally used. "you made a promise, right? i wanna help you keep that promise." He knew. Somehow, he knew that Claire made a promise to Toriel. Maybe Toriel told him, maybe he was there listening; either way, he knew. She swung her feet from the bed. The cold of the tile floor immediately seeped through her socks and she gasped. Sans winked and passed her the key, then the chain choker faded away.

  
          "Sans." She mumbled, cheeks flushed.

  
          "yeah?" The points of light in his eyes were darting over her whole face, but she was too numbed to notice.

  
          "How do you do that? You're bone. Bones don't bend like that." She pointed to his closed eye socket, and tapped lightly with the end of her finger. The surface had a slight spring to it. _'Maybe it's like cartilage...?'_

  
          Sans shrugged and grinned from hinge to hinge. At least, he would have if his jaw had a hinge. "magic i guess." A blue light flashed and Claire's jacket, belt, and boots materialized beside her on the bed. "pull yourself together. let's walk. i got someone else i'd like you to meet. and if we get lucky, my bro Papyrus might be there, too."

  
          She cringed knowing that she didn't make the best first impression. The sedative kept her numb enough that she couldn't even begin to cry, but a dull sadness still welled up into her lungs. Her movements were automatic as she dressed.

  
          Without saying anything more, Sans outstretched his hand once again. Claire took his phalanges in her grip, but -- for a moment -- neither of them moved. She had a chance to register the strange texture of the bone. It was softer than she imagined; smooth and cool to the touch. Then, without warning, her whole being was wretched into a black vortex.

  
          Water lapped onto a rocky shore. Glowing plant flora surrounded them. Odd and beautiful flowers and fungi ebbed a soft blue light. It was a small chamber in a cave, and the lone exit was filled with water covered in large, flowering lilies. With his hands stuffed in his pockets, Sans sat down on a bench in the center of the room and closed his eyesockets.

  
          For a while she just stood there, taking in the serenity. It was so quiet. She had never heard anything like it before; so quiet and calm. Her breathing began to even out into long, slow draws. At first, it was difficult to suppress the racing curiosity of her own mind. She wondered about the glowing plants; about how old the cave system might be; about what kind of creatures might live here. Eventually, however, she stopped thinking altogether. There was something truly mesmerizing about this stillness, but then she lost her balance, and swayed on her feet. She caught herself, and figured it would be better to sit down. So she did, albeit cautiously.

  
          "i like to come here to think. or to stop thinking. it depends." His bass voice was barely a whisper. She waited for a long moment before breaking the stillness again.

  
          "So what did the tests show?" Her voice cracked as she tried to whisper back. Sans sighed heavily.

          "you're more monster than you are human, but you still have some very important human qualities. that makes you special. it makes you strong."

          She wasn't sure that this was good news. "It makes me a freak. Witch. Claire Vincent the Draconic." Sarcasm dripped like venom from her whispers. "I'm a weapon. I was born to--"

  
          Sans chuckled, and spoke with a sincerity that she was becoming quite fond of. "but that's your choice now, isn't it?"

          She hadn't really thought about it that way. Which came to her as no surprise, considering that she had spent her entire life doing everything on someone else's command. _'Wake up, get dressed, go to class, go train, shut up, come here, go away, fight them, hit the showers, go eat, go to sleep.'_   She realized with a start that, for once, she did have a choice.

  
          "I've never had this before. Options..."

          Sans nodded. "you chose to come to Grillby's. i wasn't sure you would." He opened his eyes and turned to look at Claire with that dumb grin. "hey, kiddo. knock, knock." She had a blank expression on her face. She had no idea what he was saying or why.

  
          "W-what?"

  
          "are you pulling my funny bone? it's a knock, knock joke." When she shook her head, he shrugged and explained. "i say: knock, knock. you say: who's there? then i say something else, and you say it back and ask who? then i tell you the punchline."

          "Okay, so who's there?"  
          "dishes."  
          "Dishes, who?" Sans grinned wider in approval.  
          "dishes a bad joke." It takes a moment to process, but then a snicker forced its way from her throat. _'I get it now.'_   Suddenly, she's got one.

          "Knock, knock." Sans is visibly shocked. The white lights in his eyesockets glowed brighter.  
          "who's there?"  
          "Soldier."  
          "soldier, who?"  
          "So-soldier teaching me jokes now, huh?" She second-guessed herself at the punchline and ruined it by stuttering. She thought she saw a tiny blue light flicker in his left eye. A beat of light blue sweat formed at his temple.

  
          "h-hey, not bad kiddo."  
        _'Oh, no, it was bad. He didn't like it... why did I try--'_  
          "knock, knock." His voice had changed again. It was nearly emotionless and even.  
          "W-who's there?"  
          "promises."  
          "Promises, who?" _'Why is my heart beating so fast?'_   She wondered naively.

  
          "i don't know her name, but i made a promise once, too." Claire's breath caught in her throat. "she said:

  
           "'If a human ever comes through this door... Could you please promise me something? Watch over them and protect them... Will you not?'

  
          "now, i hate making promises, but this woman had an integrity that you just can't say 'no' to." He noticed the smokey tears rolling down Claire's face.

  
          "Oh, Toriel." Claire started to bury her face in her hands, but Sans' arm shot out and grabbed her wrist.

  
          "no more hiding, okay buddy?" That's when she realized -- just like she had with Toriel -- that she couldn't tell him 'no' either. So, she told him her story, except for one thing. She couldn't tell him about the subject of her nightmares. She tried to convince herself that she could just forget about it and move on. She sincerely wished she could.

  
          "hmmm..." Sans rumbled when Claire finished. "that sure explains a lot. why didn't you just say so in the first place?"

          Her jaw dropped open a little and her mind struggled for an answer. "B-but-I-you-ugh-how...!" She flushed violently, embarrassed. Sans chuckled and waved his hand at her in dismissal.

          "just messin' with ya. heheh. but hey," He reached over and poked her on the cheek with his pointer-phalange. "how do you do that, anyway?"

          She knew she was probably as red as Tuesday's cherry gelatin cup. "Blood, and stuff, I guess." If only there was a hole she could hide into, she'd be gone in a flash. Somewhere, out of reach in the back of her mind, was the answer to this simple anatomy question. How she had turned from this blubbering wreck into this insecure wreck was beyond her understanding.

          "huh, neat." His cheekbones were tingled a pale blue. Desperate to change the topic, Claire asked him about the friend he mentioned earlier. "oh, Undyne. sure. probably about time to get going anyway." He reached out with his hand, but she didn't take it.

  
          "Could we actually walk this time? This place is so..." She rubbed at the near-dried tears on her face. Everything was still so overwhelming. She felt as if she was slamming from one emotion into the other, grinding the gears as she went.

  
          Sans grinned and stood, beckoning for her to follow him. He started telling her jokes again, and after a few she began to laugh. Real laughter. It was so unlike the fake, polite laughter or the spiteful giggles that she had heard before. Everything was serious business at the KILN. Before she knew it, she was standing outside a dome-shaped house that looked sort of like an angry fish.

  
          "why are skulls always single?" She shrugged, still smiling. "because they have no body." She covered her mouth to stifle a snort. It was stupid, but charming. She felt a lot better for having listened to him all of this time. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she had felt this happy. It was so strange to her, but she was finally beginning to unwind a little. It was nice. Sans walked up to the front door and knocked.

  
          Papyrus answered, he was wearing a poofy chef's toque. "SANS!! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?!" Papyrus looked back and forth between Claire and Sans in rapid fire. "SANS. OH MY GOD. IS THAT THE HUMAN YOU SCARED? DID YOU MAKE IT UP TO THEM LIKE I ASKED YOU TO?!" Papyrus had this goofy, delighted smile and Claire hid hers behind her hand, shyly.

  
          "What about a human?" A stern feminine voice asked from behind the door. A blue woman with chiseled muscles, fish gills, fins, and a red ponytail stepped out in front of Papyrus.

  
          "hey undyne, this is..." Sans started, but Undyne cut him off.

  
          "It's unlike you to do this much work, Sans. You even delivered it for me. Great job!" Undyne cackled and an electric blue-green spear formed in her hands.

 

* * *

 

 

           **~4.1~** **/watch?v=TpHmvEU02vY**

  
          "wait, undyne!"

  
        _'Oh, shit.'_   Claire had moments to react before the spear whipped by her head and lodged into the rock wall behind her. The bridge of her nose stung and she could smell blood. It made her nauseous.

  
          In a blink, her right eye turned. She focused her aura to her legs and back, making it a point to go completely on the defensive. Aura clung to the cells of her legs and pointed claws formed over her boots. Her wings had barely begun to form when another spear was flung towards her chest. Suddenly, she noticed circles of the same cyan aura appear beneath her feet. She quick-stepped away just before spears sliced upwards from the circles. _'She's gonna shish kebab me!'_

  
          The circles got harder and harder to dodge. Then Undyne began throwing spears at her as well. _'Screw this!'_   She leaned backwards touching her palms to the stone floor, and a spear sliced inches over her. With a blast from her palms, she flung herself into the air and allowed her webbed wings to unfurl. A flurry of spears rained up from below. She could see both Sans and Papyrus attempting to restrain Undyne, but it was no use.

  
          Claire didn't want to use the quick step technique, but was forced to. She appeared to teleport from place to place in the air in short dashes. The effort was exhausting and she began to float back down to the floor. Scraped in several places, her breath fogged with every pant.

  
          Undyne spread her arms wide in a mock opening. She was sweating profusely from effort. "C'mon human! Give me your best shot!"

          "No." Claire crossed her arms, panting. "You're Sans friend, right? I'm not going to hit you." It might have been the sedative, but maybe she truly did function better in circumstances in which her life was on the line.

  
          "Is that so?" The spear that Undyne had been holding dissipated as quickly as it had came. "Then I guess you're safe for now, but..." She stomped toward Claire and picked her up by the jacket. Claire's poker face began to crack. _'Damn, she's strong!'_

  
          "If you hurt even a SINGLE bone in either of these numb-skull's bodies... I'll make you pay." Undyne dropped her, and stomped away into her house slamming the door behind her. Sans and Papyrus were left outside.

  
          "HUMAN! I THINK SHE LIKES YOU!!" Clapping his hands rapidly like a giddy child, Papyrus squealed with delight.

          "well, that went good." Sans' smile was strained. He was sweating blue streaks and appeared to be breathing heavily. _'How...?'_

          A confidence that she hadn't felt in years welled up in her soul as her armor vanished. She winked at Sans.

 

* * *

** ~4.2~** **(Sans'** **POV) /watch?v=N1-RyLUQUrA**

        _'Never thought I'd see a human with magic.'_   Sans reflected to himself. He'd given up trying to hold Undyne back after seeing that the kiddo was holding her own. Papyrus kept hold of her though -- the entire time -- until Undyne wrenched away to threaten Claire. Poor kid looked like she was about to pass out, but the sparkle in her eyes made magic rush through his bones. Then, the kid -- no, the woman -- winked at him. A bead of sweat dripped from his jaw.

  
          "P-Papyrus, you stay with the kid, alright? i'm gonna go talk to Undyne."

  
          "GOOD IDEA BROTHER! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL MAKE SURE THE HUMAN DOES NOT ESCAPE WHILE YOU AND UNDYNE PREPARE A COUNTER-ATTACK STRATEGY!!"

          "Wait, what?" Her words came out in a stuttering laughter.

  
          "I WILL TELL YOU WHAT, HUMAN -- WHO CAN SOMEHOW USE MAGIC -- YOU ARE HEREBY UNDER HUG ARREST!!" Then his spaghetti sauce stained brother leaped at her and wrapped her in a friendly squeeze. He breathed a chuckle, because she appeared less than enthusiastic.

  
          "looks like you've got it under control, bro." He gave Papyrus a thumbs-up and knocked twice on Undyne's front door.

  
          "Sans, no..." Undyne's groan could be heard from the other side of the house.

          "fish." The thud of boots came closer.

  
          "Ughhh... Fish, who?"

          "Fish you would let me in so I can talk--"

          Undyne ripped the door open so hard that it ripped free of its hinges. She looked at it quizzically before throwing it across the cavern. It shattered against the cave wall. Papyrus and Claire shrieked in tandem. "Come in."

  
          "let me get straight to the point." Sans tapped the end of a wooden spear strapped to Undyne's back as he sauntered in. "do you trust me?"

          Undyne let out a frustrated sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Sans, of course I do, but you--"

          "then you know i have my reasons. partly because i made a promise, and partly because this one is different. i'm going to do some research and talk to Alphys. until then, i need you to help me protect this one." Sans had shoved his hands deep in his pockets. His skull had shrunk back into the fluff around the collar of his jacket and he cast her a dark, pleading look.

          She took her time in pacing to the kitchen table. She reached for a half-empty cup of golden tea and sipped at it. Her expression fluctuated between concerned and strained as she mulled his words over. "Alright, but you owe me, big time."

          "thank you. it means a lot." Relief washed over him.

          "Just be careful, Sans. You mean everything to that goober." It was a request and a threat wrapped into one. He tried to take it in stride.

          "sure." He shrugged and turned to leave. He had to find out if his suspicions were true, and soon. He'd go see _him_ , tonight.


	5. House Arrest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein we see the fluff before the storm, cinnamon roll Papyrus, introducing 'him'.

**~5~** **/watch?v=efQ-1oDFXLE**

  
          "Ack!! Pap-papyrus. Can't. Breath." The skeleton hug was cutting off her air supply, but not completely. She just wasn't into hugs much. She supposed that it was just because she was so accustomed to displays of affection being fake. Perhaps she couldn't tell the real kind from the fake? _'No, this is real enough...'_ She still couldn't comprehend why, however.

  
          "OH." He released her from the embrace and grinned down at her. _'Holy fuck, he's so tall...'_   "SORRY ABOUT THAT, HUMAN."

  
          He frowned for a fraction of a moment, but then smiled again while holding her shoulders at arms length. Her emotions slammed into the depression gear again.

          "Why?" He looked at her quizzically. Her face had scrunched up as pain overwhelmed her heart. "Why are you -- and your brother -- being so nice to me?"

  
          "WHY NOT?" He said it like it was the most obvious thing.

          "Aren't you afraid of me?" A smokey tear formed at the corner of her eye.

          "SHOULD I BE?" He cocked his head to the side and considered her question. "OH, HUMAN, YOU'RE LEAKING. DID I HURT YOU?"

          She couldn't hold back her shock. There was just no comprehending this situation. _'Am I that broken inside?'_  "N-no, I'm okay. I'm just surprised is all. Everyone on the surface was always afraid of me, because of my magic, I guess." She whispered the explanation while staring at a clump of rocks on the floor. She couldn't even look at him now.

  
          "HUMAN --"

          "Claire."

          "HUMAN CLAIRE, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM ACTUALLY AFRAID OF A GREAT MANY THINGS, REALLY. BUT, MY BROTHER LIKES YOU, SO I THINK YOU MUST NOT BE TOO SCARY FOR A HUMAN, EVEN IF YOU CAN SOMEHOW USE MAGIC." Amber sweat trickled down his jaw as he spoke. _'Of course, Sans knows I'm no threat, so why would he be scared?'_   It made sense, logically, but she couldn't shake the feeling that they might still be wrong. She was so unstable now, and she didn't really trust herself not to hurt them. Undyne's threat echoed in her head. _'Maybe she's right...'_

          She looked up when she heard Sans deep voice echo from across the cavern. He stepped over to the pair with his normal grin, but something in the way his lights danced told her he was actually deep in thought. "hey bro, hey Claire. it's been a long day, you wanna go home?"

  
          Her breath hitched at the word _'home'_.  What was he saying? She didn't have a home. _'Unless he means...'_   He seemed to have observed her altered breathing, and the look he cast her was soft, caring. It didn't help her situation.

  
          "uh, yeah, Claire. i was gonna ask you..." He scratched the back of his skull and glanced away. "you wanna crash at our place? don't want you feeling, _bonely_."

  
          "SANS!! CEASE AND DESIST, OR I'LL ARREST YOU, TOO." A mischievous grin flashed across Papyrus' face as he wiggled his gloved fingers in a mock hug. 

  
          "okay, okay. you are alright with that, right Claire?" His eyes conveyed pleading. He was asking her to say yes, even though he knew she would decline. _'I can't hide anything from him, can I?'_   Suddenly, an image from her nightmares flashed across her consciousness. Shimmering claws and the scent of clotting blood overwhelmed her.  
"I-I don't know... I don't want to-to inconvenience--"

  
          "ABSOLUTE NONSENSE." Papyrus seemed to notice the mounting tension, and absolved to dissolve it in his own fashion. "YOU ARE HEREBY SENTENCED TO HOUSE ARREST. OUR HOUSE, THAT IS. PREPARE FOR TRANSPORTATION TO YOUR NEW DOMICILE, HUMAN CLAIRE!!"

  
          "What -- hey, no -- oh fuck -- put me down!" She complained in a frustrated, blushing shock as Papyrus scooped her up bridal style, and ran off with her. No amount of kicking and whining could deter him, however.

  
          "I MUST INSIST I CARRY YOU. YOU MUST BE VERY TIRED AFTER TRAINING WITH UNDYNE, I KNOW I ALWAYS AM." The stupidest grin was plastered across his face, and it was infectious. Papyrus had already set off at a steady jog.

  
          "Y-yeah, I am kind of tired." She looked back at Sans just before he disappeared. She caught the sight of a black vortex appearing and absorbing him. She vaguely remembered something about this technique in her lessons. It was similar to the quick step, except across very long distances. She did remember that it required a lot of power, more than she was comfortable with using at once.

  
          She settled for watching the scenery pass by. Soon, the glowing fauna was beginning to become scarce. The temperature began to drop. Mist coated her from the path next to a waterfall, and the chill made her shiver. She tucked her hands under her arms to keep her fingers warm. She soon heard snow crunch under Papyrus' feet. The brightness of the snow caused her to squint her eyes. For a place with no sun, it sure was bright here. She wondered if it was magic, or some kind of cavernous phenomenon. It was probably magic.

  
          "WE-WE'RE HERE, HU-HUMAN CLAIRE." Papyrus wheezed from effort as he allowed her to slide down to the ground.

  
          She stood in front of a quaint little two story house. A holiday wreath was attached to the front door. Papyrus stepped up to it and opened it, guiding her with his other hand on her back. She stepped up onto a small porch before stepping inside. She didn't see any sources of heat, but it was comfortably warm inside. A dining table was immediately to her right. She looked across the house to the kitchen. A large flat screen TV sat across from a plush green couch to her left. Sans was melted into the cushions on one side.

  
          "hey bro, what took you so long?" The seemingly innocent question whipped Papyrus into an immediate frenzy.

          "SANS OH MY GOD! DID YOU FIND ANOTHER SHORT CUT?"

          "yep."

          "WHY DO YOU NEVER TELL ME ABOUT THESE THINGS? I COULD USE A SHORTCUT FROM HERE TO UNDYNE'S HOUSE! I'D NEVER BE LATE FOR TRAINING AGAIN!" Any signs of his exhaustion were gone, replaced by sheer enthusiasm. He seemed to really admire Undyne. It struck her as cute.

          "nah, trade secret." Sans grinned sheepishly.

          "WHATEVER YOU SAY, 'BRO'. I AM GOING TO PREPARE THE HUMAN A MEAL OF THE BEST SPAGHETTI I HAVE MADE YET. HUMAN CLAIRE, REST WHEREVER YOU LIKE." He strode off to the kitchen and started rummaging through the cabinets noisily. She stepped over to the couch with a quizzical look cast at Sans.

          "Your 'trade secret', is a very powerful technique, much more so than my quick step." He was pretending to ignore her. There was some sort of play on TV that he affixed his gaze to. She looked at the lights in his eyes, however, and they betrayed nervousness. "Where'd you get so much power?" She whispered. He flinched.

  
          "i've been through a lot." He said simply. She shrugged, and cupped her elbows in her hands as she stood there. She blankly watched the play on the TV, hardly acknowledging that the main character was a rectangular robot. Sans sighed and pat the other couch cushion. "you can sit down, if you want. i don't bite."

  
          She flinched at the gesture, and a similar scene from her nightmares flashed across her vision. Attempting to hide her fears, she sighed similarly in response and removed her scarf from her waist. She begrudingly accepted the seat, making sure to leave space between them. Placing the center of the scarf over her head like a hood, she wrapped it around her neck once and raised the extra material over her mouth. This way, if she fell asleep, no one should notice it. It was a paranoid instinct, but she couldn't help it.

          "like it? the scarf, i mean." He spoke idly to fill the silence. She hummed in response. It was very comfortable, if odd smelling. It smelled similar to the formaldehyde she had used in anatomy classes -- or maybe more like dust -- but extremely toned down, and sweeter. On a hunch, she closed her eyes and dropped the fabric just below her nose. She took a deep breath through her nose, allowing animalistic senses to kick in with just a trickle of power. She could smell sweat, unwashed laundry, the sweetness of dry pasta mixed with tomato sauce, the sickly sweetness of ketchup, and the scent of bones. There, underneath the stronger odors, was that strange scent.

  
          "It smells like you... You smell weird." It was such an awkward thing to say, but he chuckled anyway.

  
          "i guess i'll take that as a 'yes'." He shifted to cross his legs; he seemed almost uncomfortable. "wanna ditch after dinner and go to Grillby's?"

  
          She stayed completely still. Breathing shallowly as to not betray her emotions, she considered his offer and her response. Was he aware that she'd be famished after using so much magic? Did he anticipate that she'd want to drown her thoughts in liquor after all she'd been through today? Was he asking her on a date? She paused at her own thought. _'Why the hell would he do that?'_

          A chuckle brought her back to her senses. "don't over think it, kiddo. Papyrus' cooking has improved, but it's still not entirely edible."

  
        _'Oh...'_  Now she just felt stupid. Were her thoughts that obvious, or was he just that observant? "Oh, sure then."

  
          "not to mention that we can get plastered." He said suddenly. Was he reading her mind? She wondered if that was even possible. "no, i'm not reading your mind, heheh... i just have a feeling i know what you're going through."

  
          He glanced her way, and for once, she met his gaze willingly. _'You have no idea...'_   She thought to herself, and he picked up the emotion readily. His sockets half-lidded and he glanced away, but she shifted his direction slightly and he looked back. _'...but I think you're going to know sooner or later, aren't you?'_   He closed his eyes and his grin widened again. Almost imperceptibly, he nodded in understanding, and turned back to the TV.

  
          She mirrored him, but she wasn't really watching. She was so scared and divided by this point that she could laugh at herself. She didn't want him to know what she did; that she was a murderer; that she had been hurt that way. It was embarrassing and shameful; pitiful and damning. As she sat there worrying, she closed her heavy eyelids.

          _'Maybe a small nap wouldn't hurt...'_   The strangest feeling of them all overcame her. She felt _safe_. Even in her own room at KILN, she'd never truly felt safe. Someone always had a say. Someone always had power over her and her actions. Warmth clouded her thoughts, and she slept.

 

* * *

 

 

**~5.1~ (Sans' POV) /watch?v=3o-DZpeRjvk**

  
          Her breathing had finally assumed a slow steady rhythm, betraying her sleep, even though he couldn't see her face past the scarf. She was so damn hard to read, but he was relieved to know that she was beginning to open up to him. If everything went the way he expected, he would need her to be stable and strong. He stood from the couch stealthily, and stepped into the kitchen.

  
          "HELLO SANS--" Papyrus called out in his normal, booming voice.

          "shhhhhh!" Sans hissed and pressed a phalange to his teeth to silence him while gesturing wildly. "Claire fell asleep on the couch."

  
          "OH, THAT'S GOOD THEN." Even his whispers were loud. "WE'LL JUST WAKE THEM UP FOR DINNER IN A FEW HOURS THEN."

  
          "a few hours? how long does it take to make spaghetti?" He questioned as he pulled a bottle of ketchup from his ribs. Even he wasn't sure why, but this stuff got him so wasted, so quickly. The neat part was that Papyrus had no idea; he just assumed Sans really liked ketchup.

  
          "SANS, PERFECTION TAKES TIME, YOU KNOW. AND PRACTICE. ACTUALLY, YOU WOULDN'T KNOW, AS YOU DON'T EVER DO EITHER OF THOSE THINGS." Papyrus whispered coarsely, while pretending to be offended.

  
          "well i wish you'd _curry_ up, bro. i can _parsley_ believe it should take that long." Sans snickered at the infuriation building up within Papyrus. He knew his brother couldn't scream his frustrations as usual, and that only served to make it more entertaining.

  
          "SANS NO."

          "you're right, this isn't even _oregano_. here, _chive_ got a better one, it'll leave you _cayenne_ in laughter. are you ready for it, _paprika_?"

  
          Papyrus slammed his fluffy chef's hat over his skull and groaned into it, giving Sans enough time to escape up the stairs and into his room. He locked the door behind him. _'finally...'_   He thought to himself. He was anxious to get this ordeal started. The quicker he got this over with, the sooner he could get plastered and sleep for a while. Maybe this time he wouldn't have those nightmares.

  
          He flopped onto his unmade bed and took another swig of ketchup. He closed his sockets and allowed himself to become in tune with the magic coursing through him.

_'hey old man, got a minute?'_

          "̸̢̕͟͞Ý͞e̴̢̡̧͢s̢͜,͏̷̵̸̡ ̶̸͝S̸à̸̕͘n̶͢s͏̷̢?̷̛͢͝"͏̴̨́͡

        _'i think i found one of your fragments.'_

          "̢̨͢͠C̨̛͜͡a̢͟͡n̡̧͏͡ ̡͝҉̶͏Į̶͞ ̴͡҉h̷͟a҉́̕͘͝v̵e͘͢͡҉́ ̷͠͡͞i̧͠t̴̨́͘͠?̧͠"̸

        _'not really, somebody's using it right now.'_

          "̷͝A͡͞ḩ̸̧͝,̢҉ ̶̡t̴̛͘͠ḩ̕͢e̴͟͠ ̸̨̛͞͡f̨ę͢m͘̕͡͞a̶̛͠l̸̸ę̕.̵͜͠"̷̸́̕

      _'i actually wanted to ask you something. since you both are connected, can you guide her to me in our dreams? i think something's bothering her, but i can't get her to talk about it. and we don't have time for this sort of extensive therapy. as you probably know, this timeline has been altered in a major sort of way, and i need to be prepared for whatever comes next. i was hoping you could help me with that.'_

          "̢͘̕Ì̛҉̴̨'̷̀͜ĺ̸͘ļ̷̀͟͟ ̶̧̀͢ś͝è͘ę̷͢ ̶̡̀͟͝w͡͝͞h̶̛̛͢a̴̕ţ̀̀̕ ̧̀́͘͡Í͜ ̵́͢͢ć̡̧͡a͏͢n̸̡͝ ̨̢͝d̵̢̀o̸̢.̡́͘͘͝"͢

      _'that's it? you're not even going to lecture me this time?'_

          "̶̢D̕͘ò ̛͜y͝͏̷o̡͢͞͠u̧͘ ̀͘w̕͠a̡͟n̸̵̷̡͞t̸̕͟҉ ̸͠͡ḿ̶̢͡e̕͘ ̷̵̡̕͞t̴̵̴͢ó͢͝?͜͞"̶̢͢͞

        _'er, no, it's just i thought you'd have something to say about this.'_

          "̵́͡͝N͜͠o҉̀͏̷͘,͢ ̧͟ỳ́͜o̷͝ù̵̧͜'҉̸͡͡r̷e̕͞ ̷̨̕͟à͡b̷͢͢͡ş̷́͜͜o̸̶̕҉ĺ̶͡u̵͏͞t̶͜͜e̢̢͟͞l͜͡y̨͘ ̶͡͞ŗ̷̸̡͡ì̡̛͡g̴̶h̷̡͜t̨̢̕,͝ ̵̵̛͟S͠a̸̧̨ń̨̧̛͟s̷̴͠͏͟.̸̢͝ ̧͘͡͝Y̧͢͢͝ó͡ừ̢̡ ̡͝a͘̕͏r̶̢̧e̵͝ ͟͠͡r̷̴̀̕u͠n̶̕͟ņ̀͢͡i̵̕͘͜n̷̛͟͞g̸̵̸̀͠ ͡͠ò̴̷͠͞u̧͏̨͝t̷̢́͠ ̴͜ó̵̵͜f̕͡ ̡̕͞t̶҉͏i̸͞m̨҉e̸̛͘͏͠.͜͏"͜

      _'oh, yeah, right.'_

_"̡̢͡G͠o҉̛̀͠ ҉̢́t̀̕ǫ͟͝͞͡ ̷̶̴̡͝s̷͡l҉̧̛͟e͟͢e̸̡̕p̛̀͝,̢͢ ̧̡S̵̶̕a̷͜n̨͜s̵̨̛͘.̶̛"̨҉̡_

_'_   _r_ _ight.'_

          Sans lay there in his bed, and a weight lifted from his chest as Dr. Gaster left him. He dreaded this more than he would have liked to. It was becoming more and more difficult to remain impartial about this reset. With Frisk it was easy, as he never knew how much of a hold Chara would have on them. He went with the motions when Frisk came along. It was easy repeating the same things over and over again, albeit tiresome. But this was something new altogether, and he was both excited and petrified at once. He forced himself to put these all emotions aside for the benefit of sleep. It was difficult with his racing mind, but he forced himself to slip away with the help of intoxicating ketchup.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am le sad. My wingdings wouldn't copy over to here. *huff*  
> There have been a couple of small, yet very important, additions to chapters 1 and 2.  
> I am hoping I can label the next 'chapter' 5.2; it's meant to be part of this chapter, but I felt I should separate them because this next part is VERY trigger heavy. You've been warned.


	6. Human and Demon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth of Claire's nightmares, insinuations of rape, vivid gore.  
> A storm looms on the horizon, flickering with azure lightning.

**~6~ (Triggers galore, final warning!) ** **/watch?v=zRWbSCLXPnM**

  
          She was having that exact same nightmare again. She was called to the psychiatrist's office, again. _'Why do I have to keep doing this?'_  She was absolutely fine, she told them. She offered to finish another assignment. But, alas, she had to go.

  
          But this time, when she opened the sliding door, the psychiatrist was there, as usual, but he wasn't alone. A black cloaked figure stood behind him. He had a pure white head, reminiscent of a skull but smooth with no jaw features or nose. A cracked line ran up from his right eye, and down from his left eye to his mouth. He reminded her of a pumpkin carving. His hands were similar to skeleton hands, but the joints were smooth, and shaped as though they mirrored the fleshed kind. He had perfectly circular holes in his palms.

  
 "What are you looking at, child?" The elder sneered and patted the couch. "Come here and sit down." He was in possession of her sheath now, so her legs moved of their own accord as she was forced to comply.

  
          "D-don't. I warned y-you. Don't make me do this..." She sobbed. Over and over again, she had to relive this moment, and the familiar rage welled up inside of her. She glanced up at the cloaked figure. He looked shocked and saddened, yet he didn't do anything.

  
          "Eyes down here, princess." She could smell cheap booze on the man's breath. He must have bribed someone very heavily to have sneaked alcohol in here. He groped roughly at her small breasts with one hand while failing to unbutton his bulging pants with the other. "We're going to have a great time, you and I. Just relax, and accept it."

  
          "I told you. I warned you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you." She repeated it over and over like a mantra until black smoke coursed from the mouth of her sheath. Rage enveloped her. In her memory, she could feel this elder's manhood inside of her. She remembered the intense pain when he broke her hymen without waiting for her to stretch to his size. She remember him ordering her to suck him off, and then the order to swallow. She remembered being sick for weeks, and dreading that he might ask for her again. She remembered the bruises that he left on her when she spit on him and cursed him. When she told him that she would kill him if he ever called for her again, he'd blackened her eye.

          Her eyes turned black as night as the smoke enveloped her body. Jet, dragon-like armor covered every inch of her limbs and turned hard as steel. As her physical senses magnified, her mind dulled. No longer was she able to think critically about her actions; she thought only of fulfilling her swear, the promise of death. The man panicked and retreated backwards off the couch to flee, but she was already there when he turned around.

  
          She slashed at his stomach first. His innards spilled to his knees and he dropped like a stone. He whimpered and begged for forgiveness, clutching at his organs, but she was too far gone to hear him. She raked her claws against his flesh, making sure to keep him alive for as long as possible. She picked up an organ, inspecting the surface, adoring the colors; before tossing them against the wall carelessly. She tied knots in his intestines and wrapped them around his neck while laughing. Finally, she tore into his lungs and throat, digging and scraping for his heart. She plucked the beating organ from his chest, and shoved it in his mouth. She had to dislocate his jaw to get it to fit.

  
          When she saw the life flow from his eyes, she slowly began to return to reality. She stood shakily and stepped away from what remained of his corpse. The cloaked figure was still there. The horned helmet dissipated from her head first.

  
          "I-I warned him. I told--" The figure meekly gestured to the door. She turned, anticipating the worst. Somehow, she wasn't surprised to see him there.

  
          "oh, Claire." Sans was a sihlouette in the doorway. A bright blue light pulsed in his left eye and neon blue tears formed at the corners of his eyes.

  
          "Don't look at me--" She buried her face in her claws, and clotting fluids smeared her face. The scent of gore -- and Sans' revelation -- was making her sick. She turned away from him and leaned up against the wall, retching. Her whole body quivered. "I knew you would find out. I'm a weapon. I'm a demon. I killed him. I killed him. I--"

  
          His soft voice was directly behind her. "it's okay. i saw what you saw. i saw... what he **did** to you, okay? he deserved this. i would have done the same." A tiny voice formed in the back of her mind. _'Wake up, Claire... Wake up...'_

  
          She awoke so violently from her place on the couch that she leaped into a standing position. Her chest heaved, and she shook violently. There was a note on the coffee table in front of the couch. [GONE TO GET MORE SAUCE, BRB - PAP]

  
          At the moment she awoke, a door slammed open upstairs and Sans quick-stepped down to meet her. "don't freak out, come on Claire." He was pleading with her already, but it was too late. She recoiled from him like a shadow from a light switched on.

  
          "Sans, you know what I did. You know what I am. I can't stay here. I sh-- I shouldn't even be alive." She gripped her arms, hugging herself tight. _'How can he accept me now?'_   How could he not fear her now, knowing what carnage she was capable of? As if he were reading her mind, again, he answered.

  
          "look, Claire, we're all capable of this sort of thing. when you're fighting for something worth fighting for, you give it everything you've got." Blue fire blazed in his left eye, and a tear streamed down his cheek bone.

  
          "How can you say that? You're not--" She didn't think he was capable of doing the violent kinds of things she had done.

  
          _She was **very** wrong._


	7. Judgement Hall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Oh we're just getting started..._

**~7~** **(return of the triggers)** **/watch?v=39FJCBrQ0pc**

  
          A blue fire engulfed his left hand as he faced his palm to her. A flash of white light blinded her. When she forced her squinted eyes open, she was in a golden hallway surrounded by two rows of huge pillars. The structure reminded her of the Ruins. Light streamed in through stained glass windows emblazoned with a familiar runic symbol.

  
          "it's a beautiful day outside." She heard Sans' voice echo through the hallway. He was standing a few paces away from her. His sockets were closed, and the light had turned him a pale gold. She could see the shadows near him shift and dance.

  
          "Sans, what are you--" He either ignored her, or didn't hear her.

  
          "birds are singing, flowers are blooming..." She became acutely aware of the sickly sweet smell of flowers, and the chirping of birds.

  
          "Sans?" No, he definitely couldn't hear her. Very suddenly, the birds stopped singing, and it was deathly quiet.

  
          "On days like these, kids like you..." When he opened his sockets, there were no lights inside. Pure darkness where there should have been emotion. They reminded her of her own pitch black eyes. She froze in terror at his next words, spoken in a dark base tone, and coated thick with malice.

  
          "S h o u l d b e b u r n i n g i n h e l l ." A blue fire flashed in his left eye and he raised his alighted palm outwards. She heard a shriek from behind. A small child in a striped shirt was thrown to the ground. They were being dragged about by a floating blue heart. She recognized it for what it was, the physical form of their Soul.

  
          The child struggled to avoid bones that materialized from thin air as they were flung about with Sans' magic. A whirring noise caused her to whip back around. Giant, floating, dragon-like skulls materialized one after another. They rushed forwards and past her, arranging themselves around the crumpled child. The sound was the building of a ball of energy in the skull's jaws. They fired beams of blue-white energy at the child. Unable to escape, they were incinerated. Above the child's ashes, a floating red heart cracked and shattered. The whole encounter took only a few moments. Her heart beat against her ribs so hard she thought they might break.

  
          "that's only the first of many. wanna see another?" Sans voice was directly behind her. When she whipped around, the lights were gone from his eyes again. Strangely, beyond the terror, she felt a sense of relief. Somehow, knowing that she wasn't the only creature that could kill... No, it wasn't just that. There was something about this situation that comforted her. She couldn't quite explain it, even to herself.

  
          "I'm afraid, Sans..." She whispered. "Yes, show me."

  
          Everything went dark.

  
          "sorry old lady, this is why I never make promises." When the golden hallway flashed back into sight, it was right before the child was speared by a dozen bones.

  
          "you dirty, brother killer!" Another flash, the child was slammed into a pillar, breaking their back. She watched as the images flickered by faster and faster. She was absorbing memory after memory. Some of them were happy, some were sad, and some were horrific. She watched the child die a thousand times. She watched everyone live, and die, hundreds of times. The images flickered by so quickly that she couldn't completely comprehend or remember them -- like he could -- but she got the gist of it.

  
          "you really like swinging that thing around, huh?" Yet another flash, this time the child was expertly dodging everything, even the lasers. Sans appeared exhausted. The child darted forward with a knife in hand, slashing.

  
          "Sans NO!!" It was too late. Red spray gushed from Sans' chest, and then everything went dark again. Sans was standing in the darkness; alive and unharmed.

  
          "Sans... I thought...?" One of her hands pressed to her mouth, and the other was digging into her throat. Tears had been streaming down her face, but at some point she stopped being able to cry. She sobbed dryly as emotions wracked her. He had answered her unasked question. He had revealed a piece, albeit a small one, of himself to her in order to prove his point. His words echoed in her mind.  _'...when you're fighting for something worth fighting for, you give it everything you've got...'_

  
          "What do I do now? How do I continue now? Tell me how, Sans." She stomped her emotional clutch and slammed into rage drive. Her hands dug into her hair and clutched at her scalp. "How do I **live** , Sans?! How do you keep going?"

  
          "i have something, someone, to live for." A hand alighted on her shoulder. She spun around in fear, knocking it away.

  
          _"̢́Ì͘'̷̷m̵͞͝ ͜͟͠͝s̨o̶͏̨̕r̴͠͞͝r̡̨͝͞y͏̨̧̡.̸̸̢ ͝͠P̴̧͘͏l̷̴͜e̸͜͢͢͠a̡̛s̕ę̵̷͢ ̴̛̛͡d̷͘͠ò̴͠n̴̶'҉̶͢͝t̢̧̧̀ ̢̛̀b̶̡̀͡ȩ̛̕͠͏ ̶͟͜͟͞a̢̨f͡͝r̴͘͟͝à̴̵̧͢i̡̛d̶͢͟ ̀҉̕̕à̷̧n̶̨͘̕͟y̴̢m͏̛͏҉o̢̧̧͡r̢̀͢͝ȩ̷͝.̷̵͝"̢͘͜͠_  She could hear a voice in her head. Somehow, the voice was coming from the cloaked figure that had appeared behind her. It was the same figure from her dream. _'̡͠I'̴̢m̵͠ ̀́s̨o̡̡r̵̛r͝ỳ̨̡.͢ ͡P͢le͝a̴̶se͢ ҉̕d̵̷o͟͞n'̀͞ţ̸͘ ̶̛b̵e͜ s̢c҉a̴͝r̡e̸͞d̢͏̕.'̨͠ ͘͞_ She backed away from them both.

  
          "I wanted freedom. I never planned further than that. I never thought about the ramifications. I don't have anything else. I don't have anything! I don't have ANYONE!" She rambled, panicking. The words spilled out unbidden. She had known that the truth would come out sooner or later, but she never expected it to happen like this. She never expected her freedom to be wrenched away from her almost as soon as she had grasped it. How could she have expected any of this? She had no backup plan, no answers, no reason, no purpose, and certainly no friends.

  
          _'T̸h͘at's ̛j҉u͜st͢ ҉not ̷true̡.'_

  
          An image of a child with a knife flashed into her mind. The child was grinning devilishly as they kicked a pile of dust. The child's voice giggled darkly.

_ 'I don't need anyone.' _

          "No... nonono! I'm not like that! I don't want that!" She crumpled to her knees. She didn't know what it was she actually wanted now, but she knew it wasn't to be like that. She had hyperventilated for so long that she felt like she was going to pass out.

  
          The cloaked figure kneeled down to her. _'My nam͞e ̸i̷s̢ ͠G̸aster, Dr̢. ͜W. D.͞ G̶a̢s̷t͢er҉. ̵He̶lļò,̧ C͘l̢aire͏.'_   He smiled at her, and she knew it was genuine. It was fuzzy, like bad reception, but she could feel his emotion. It was like candlelight. Sans made an audible, strained sigh. His eyesockets were lidded with impatience. She got the impression that she was forgetting something. She gasped for air when Sans turned away from her suddenly. He started to walk away.

 _'_ _No.'_   She mouthed the word. She made no sound, but Sans froze.

  
          _'did you say something? i didn't hear you.'_   Sans turned his head as if to angle his hearing.

  
          "N-no... d-don't..."

  
          "you'll have to speak up. you're so far away." He shifted so that she could see one of his sockets. The lights stared at a point in the distance.

  
          Gaster helped Claire stand when she struggled to regain the feeling in her legs. She was so numb, so tired. "Don't go. Don't leave..."

  
          "louder." He turned sideways and glanced back at her. The lights in his eyes were back, and they shimmered with emotion.

  
          "Don't go! Don't leave me...!"

  
          "L O U D E R." A fire was burning inside her. It was an emotion that she hadn't felt in a long time. He was fueling the fire by forcing her to scream. She felt...

  
Determined.

          "SANS DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" In a quickstep, he embraced her. His phalanges dug into her back, and she gripped his shoulders as if she was about to fall. Slowly, darkness enveloped her for one last time, as she began to pass out from effort. Just before she blacked out, his whisper reached her ears.

  
          "i won't. i promise."

 


	8. Hypocrite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Claire gets plastered, fluff-pause, french toast, and dammit Sans. e_e

**~8~** **/watch?v=5so6XBgdDXY**

  
          She had a massive headache. She knew she had pain pills on the nightstand next to her cot, so she slowly stretched out her arm. She slapped her hand where the nightstand should have been, but she only felt air. She stretched further, and further, and lost her balance and fell to the floor. Her nose slammed against the carpeted floor. A pitiful whine echoed through the house as she cupped her hands over her face and writhed in pain. Hot liquid seeped from one side of her nose. _'Fuck, I'm bleeding...'_

  
          She finally opened her eyes, and the delirium she was in began to vanish. Her old room didn't have carpeted floors, or a pea green couch, or...

  
          "hey sleepyhead. Pap left you some spaghetti in the fridge." Her heart leaped into her throat. _'It wasn't a dream? Wait, was it?'_  She tried to draw herself up onto one knee, but she got dizzy and fell back against the arm of the couch.

  
          "hey, take it easy." Sans voice was suddenly right beside her. He helped her climb up onto the couch and sit down. "damn, if you aren't leaking from one place, you're leaking from another," He teased, but it was forced. She could feel the magic _whirr_ in the air as he ported into the kitchen and back with a cloth. "here."

  
          She took it, and noticed how badly her hands were shaking. "S-Sans..."

          He shushed her and nodded. "not gonna lie, kiddo. you're gonna feel like shit for a minute, just stay still. close your eyes."

  
          She could only do as he asked. She felt like she was down with the flu after being ran over by a tank. She wheezed a laugh and grunted when the effort shot a pain through her chest. She couldn't begin to explain why, but she smiled.

  
          "This feels like... It's like the first time I shifted into a blade. I was so sick..." She remembered it vividly. She first learned the ability to turn into a kukri sword at a very young age. It involves dissolving her entire body into a mist, and then reshaping the cells into the blade. It's a very complicated and powerful magic, but she was 'born' with the aptitude for it. It took her several tries to get it right, however. On her first try, she ended up with a blade where her leg should have been, and panicked. After her first successful attempt, she wretched and vomited for several nauseating hours upon returning to her human form.

  
          She felt Sans sit down close beside her on the couch, and two bony hands rested on either side of her head. A warm, tingling sensation flooded through her. She recognized the feeling of healing magic, but this was something more. She felt as if her own energy was being amplified, or like she was being given a transfusion. As raw power pulsed through her, it occurred to her exactly how weak she had been. She was malnourished, for starters, and she had expended serious amounts of power over the last week with very little rest. But now... She hadn't felt so alive in years.

  
          The tingling faded away and she opened her eyes. A couple of blue sparks danced across her vision. Sans looked so exhausted. "You didn't overdo it, did you?" She reached out to him, sleepily cupping his cheekbone in her hand. Since the moment she met him, he'd been going out of his way to help her. She practically owed him her life, and then some. There was no way she'd ever be able to repay him.

  
          "i'll be alright. i just need Grillby's, and some sleep. wanna come with?" After all that's happened, he still somehow manages to grin at her.

  
          Instead of answering him, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. He was sort of uncomfortable to hold like that, with his bones jutting into her, but she squeezed him anyway. He squeezes back. After a moment, she released him and met his eyes, flustered. A wordless understanding translates through their eyes. She notices a light blue blush under his eyesockets, and it causes her to react in kind. She's suddenly extremely uncomfortable. He tugs her by the hand and motions for them to leave.

  
          Grillby surprised her with another dish and drink. This time the drink was made of tomato juice and vodka, she learned. ( _'Wait, how do tomatoes grow down here!?'_ ) The sandwich was a dressed fish cutlet, fresh from the rivers today, Grillby told her. It was probably the best damn thing she had ever eaten, and she told everyone so, of course.  
For once, she was curious and lively. She discovered that the jukebox was broken, and she swore that "by hell and high water" that she would fix it. She was on her third drink when she started playing poker with the dogs. She had no idea what she was doing, and lost terribly, but she was having so much fun.

  
          Grillby put less alcohol in her fourth drink, and she whined at him. "You'll regret it in the morning if you continue like that, trust me darling." He cooed in a strange accent.

  
          Sans didn't do much besides chill at the counter and chat with Grillby, but Claire knew he was watching her. She was being a complete goober, and she was well aware of it. It all took her back to when she was a child. She missed the times when things weren't all serious business. She used to play games, and people liked her. She asked questions, and elders actually wanted to teach her.

  
          But with magic, everything changed. The people who used to want to be around her began to avoid her. Everyone was too busy, and no one wanted to play games with her. Everything became about work; pouring over books, studying for classes, and honing her skills. She grew to be alone.

  
          Sitting at the counter, these thoughts plagued her consciousness. She laid her arm on the counter, rested her forehead on her forearm, and cried silently. It didn't last long, but the feeling was enough to make her want to leave.

  
          "Sans? You ready to go... home?" She paused before saying the last word. It just felt right, and yet so wrong. She still didn't feel like she belonged anywhere, but she did feel safe there. She guessed that must be a start.

  
          "sure." He hiccuped a little, and her inner nerd screamed.

  
          "Sans, oh my god. You don't even have a diaphragm." She fluffed her hair with her hands to imply her confusion. After stepping outside, his breath fogged just like her's did. He just grinned dumbly and didn't answer her.

  
          "You can't make body heat. You don't have any blood. You have LED's for eyes, and your bone is _sproingy_..." She squished her cheeks with her index fingers to emphasize the squishiness. Sans' poker face was beginning to crack. He could barely hold back a snicker.

  
          "For fuck's sake, _dude_ , you eat ketchup. Where does that shit go, anyway?" She gasped suddenly in realization. "Sans! Do you ever have to go potty?" That was all it took. Sans doubled over in tears laughing, and then so did she. She hadn't laughed that hard in a lifetime. When she looked up, Sans was staring at her with an expression she hadn't seen before. He seemed content, and happy, but there was something more there that she couldn't name. She tilted her head slightly. At the confused look on her face, Sans' expression shifted into a sober one. He closed his eyes, shook his head, and shrugged in one smooth motion.

  
          She got back to the skeleton brother's house covered in snow and shivering. Somehow, Sans managed to flick away the melting snow with a blue snap of his fingers. He then flashed into another room, and came back with a thick blanket. "here." He wrapped it around her shoulders. Her eyes conveyed everything he needed to know about how grateful she was.  

"G'night." She slurred. She curled up into a ball on the couch without bothering to remove her shoes.

  
"night, Claire." He stepped up to his room. She heard him pause at his door, and then it quietly clicked shut. Almost immediately, she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

 

**~8.1~  /watch?v=UsCfkxZLlys**

  
          She slipped back into consciousness in the early morning. At least she thought it was the early morning, because it was just barely light outside. She laid silently on the couch for a while. Using her aura to focus her hearing, she listened to the most minute of sounds. Birds were chirping and Sans' mattress creaked as he turned in his sleep. She knew Papyrus was awake because she could hear the clicking of keys on a computer keyboard. She wondered if they had internet down here. Could they reach the human's internet somehow, or was it just an internal network?

  
          She stretched back against the couch, threw back the blanket, and leaped to her feet. She felt like she could run laps around the whole damn mountain. She stepped into the kitchen and started rummaging around for ingredients. She had never used a true kitchen before, but she had worked in the KILN cafeteria for a while, so she thought she had a basic idea of how to make a meal. _'No eggs, no bread, no bacon, no pancake mix... there's spaghetti noodles everywhere though...'_   Was spaghetti all that Papyrus ever cooked?

  
          She remembered coming past a shop on the way here, and so she set off for it immediately. She sprinted through the snow, nearly tripping on a hidden rock, but regaining her balance expertly. She allowed a bit of power to blast from the soles of her feet, and she leaped into the air spinning head over heels. She landed and ran across Grillby's rooftop, letting her arms hang loosely behind her. She leaped into from the rooftop, using a little power from her feet to slow her descent slightly. As soon as she touched down, she burst forward again, skidding to a halt in front of the shop. She panted, exasperated, but smiled in sheer glee. She had loved parkour ever since she knew it existed. The freedom of movement was exhilarating. She inhaled the crisp air deeply to calm herself down before stepping inside.

  
          A bunny woman in a tank top greeted her with a polite smile. "Oh, hello. You must be the new girl Papyrus was telling me about just yesterday. How are you feeling?" She nodded, smiling back.

  
          "Uh, yeah. A lot better actually. I wanted to cook breakfast this morning. Do you have anything?" The bunny woman clasped her hands together and stepped into a back room. For a small eternity, she heard her moving around in the back. When she came back, she was carrying two paper bags. Inside one bag was a myriad of fruits and vegetables, some she recognized, and some she didn't. In the other bag was a dozen eggs, some frozen ground meat, various spices, a slightly squished loaf of bread, and there was more in the bottom she couldn't even see.

  
          "I'll just put it on Papyrus' tab." She grinned widely at her shocked expression. She started to shake her head, but she insisted profusely.

  
          "Thank you. Oh, wow..." She packed the load back to the house dropping the bags on the kitchen counter. She heard a shower running. She wasn't even aware that they had a bathroom.

  
          Wondering which of the brothers was using the shower, she started to sort through the ingredients. She threw away a few things in the fridge that looked like they had been there for a long time. She left out the eggs, bread, and a jar of syrup. Of the spices, she selected cinnamon sugar. She already had a plan in mind, until she noticed the mountain of unwashed dishes from yesterday's cooking.

  
          _'Seriously...?'_  She silently groaned, tossing her jacket and scarf across the house onto the couch. She made quick work of the dishes, setting most aside to air dry. She used a cloth to dry a large skillet, and set it on the stove. She cracked open a small bottle of cooking oil to grease the skillet, and turned on the heat. Stacking half of the loaf of bread on the counter, she cut it cross-ways with a flick of her shiv. The makeshift blade slid back into her belt in a smooth motion. Damn she loved those useful things. In a small bowl, she cracked four eggs and whisked them with a fork. She soaked the bread slices in the egg and coated them in cinnamon sugar before laying them in the heated pan. The aroma of cinnamon and a soft sizzling filled the now silent house.

  
          As she was removing the first batch from the heat, she heard a door open and shut, and she caught the scent of men's shampoo. "GOOD MORNING HUMAN CLAIRE! WHAT ARE YOU---?"

  
          Papyrus was wearing an orange bathrobe to cover up the clothes he had obviously showered in. He seemed to be in shock. "Hey, Papyrus. I'm making breakfast, you don't mind or anything, right?" She wondered if maybe she'd crossed a line somewhere by using the kitchen without asking first.

  
          "OH, OF-OF COURSE NOT. IT'S JUST... WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR SPAGHETTI. IT'S SO... FLAT." Was he even serious?

  
          "It's not spaghetti." She said flatly as she put the next batch in to cook.

 

          "IT'S NOT?"

  
          "It's called french toast."

  
          "OF COURSE IT IS. I, THE GREAT CHEF PAPYRUS, AM COMPLETELY AWARE THAT SPAGHETTI IS NOT THE ONLY KIND OF FOOD." He was not-so-secretly telling her that the exact opposite was true.

  
          “Want me to show you how to make it?” She asked him gently.

  
          “YES PLEASE.” He wasted no time in crowding next to her as she showed him what she was doing. In no time, she had a whole stack of perfectly done french toast triangles.

  
          “You wanna go get Sans?” She started to ask Papyrus but he was already clambering up the stairs. She heard him knock on his brother’s door repeatedly, but Sans wasn’t answering. Papyrus opened the door, and her nerves set alight when a rush of magic washed over her.

  
          “ _goooooo awayyyy!!_ ” She heard Sans yell in a deep growl. Instantly, she quick stepped up the stairs, off balancing a startled Papyrus in the process. Sans was sitting on his messy bed in a huddled, sweating lump. His left eye was blazing blue. He tried to cover the eye with his hand, but streams of blue fire coursed through his phalanges.

  
_‘No more hiding, okay buddy?’_   Sans’ words echoed in her mind. She narrowed her eyes at him. He was such a hypocrite, that much was plain, but she couldn’t help but connect with his pain anyway.

  
          “Knock, knock.” Sans’ breathing hitched, and he didn’t respond. She slammed the side of her fist into the doorway, rattling the walls.

  
          “I said... knock... knock...” He glared at her for a moment, but then his gaze softened again. He knew she wouldn’t back down; she was too determined now.

  
          “who’s there?”

  
          “Police.”

  
          “police, who?”

  
          “Police come downstairs. I cooked breakfast.” She mouthed the words _‘I’m sorry’_   before shutting his door behind her. Papyrus didn’t say anything, about the pun or Sans, until they were back downstairs.

  
          “HE GETS... ANGRY-SAD... LIKE, A LOT.” Papyrus tried to explain, but even he admitted that he wasn’t quite sure what Sans was so worked up about. She thought she had a clue, but he was definitely hiding his true problems, and he was pretty good at it. He made her look like an open book.

  
          She plated three plates and coated each one in a hearty helping of syrup. Papyrus reached for his but she pushed his hand away gently.

  
          “CLAIRE, I SIMPLY MUST TRY THIS DELECTABLE LOOKING DISH!” He screamed it extra loud to make sure Sans heard him.

  
          “We wait.” She crossed her arms to make her point. She waited at the foot of the stairs. After a few minutes of waiting, black mist started to creep out of her sheath. She was getting agitated. After a couple more minutes, her patience expired and she began to stomp up the stairs. As her foot touched the first step, she heard Sans' voice in the kitchen. She and Papyrus tumbled over one another to find him leaning against the counter, and scarfing down his plate.

  
          “hey Claire, this is really good. i’m impressed.” His smile was as fake as military cheese, and he instantly knew that she was aware of it.

  
          “I’m suddenly not hungry. If you like it that much, you can share my plate with Papyrus.” She scooped up her jacket from the couch, leaving the scarf behind. Without looking behind her at either of them, she slammed the front door shut.

  
          She could still hear Papyrus throwing a fit even as the wind whistled past her. She bit into her lip so hard that she bled. She walked and walked, shivering from the cold, until she got lost in the trees. She stepped up to one and punched it with all the force she could summon from her muscles alone. She fought the urge to use her aura, and punched a steady rhythm, until she couldn’t feel her knuckles anymore. Then, she sunk to her knees and began butting her forehead against the tree. _'Why do I feel like this?'_   Why was this bothering her so much? _'Why? WHY?'_

  
          Claire stopped and let her tender head rest against the tree. The scrapes and sores on her fists were already beginning to heal on their own. Her soul was laid bare to Sans just yesterday. He cracked her open, looked around, and sewed her back shut again without a second thought. But then, when it came to his own problems, he was an iron safe. She knew, from what she could remember of his memories, that he had been through some awful things, but she knew there was something more. He was even deeper than those memories, and suddenly she knew who she could ask. _‘Gaster.’_


	9. Dracon and Eggs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein feelings are hurt, Gaster does a sneaky, and where are the knives?

**~9~** **(Sans' POV)** **/watch?v=47hZlC1A_3M**

  
          It didn't matter how much ketchup he drank; he still had nightmares that night. Reliving the last reset over, and over; he tossed and turned. Frisk came through Snowdin like she usually did; befriending everyone and sparing them. The kid had fallen in the garbage dump, and that's when Chara took her. God, how he missed that kid.

  
          He didn't miss Chara. A soulless, determined demon of a child. They killed everyone they crossed paths with, even the most innocent of monsters. He frightened himself as his rage grew with each killing. Eventually, he had to have his turn, and stand in front of Chara in the Judgement Hall. He relived every murder as he slaughtered the child again, and again. They kept coming back. It was their SAVE power; they simply had to will themselves to try again, and time reset to just before the battle. The brat got better every time, of course. Eventually, Sans took a hit... and he woke up.

  
          Blue fire was overwhelming him. If it actually burned anything, his bed would have been on fire, too. He gripped the mattress so hard this time that he was actually ripping the sheets with the tips of his phalanges. He wanted so desperately to break everything he laid eyesockets on. He was so tired of this, so done with the cycle of death and rebirth, so finished with everything. His nihilist nature wanted him to abandon everything and just finish it himself. The only thing keeping him together at this point was his brother, and a stupid promise.

  
          _'Two promises.'_   Gaster's ghostly voice corrected him. The old man was right, he realized. He made a promise to Claire, too. He sat up against the wall and held his kneecaps up to his ribs. He was trying desperately to extinguish his flames and calm down. The scent of cooking was beginning to waft up from downstairs, and he realized with a start that it wasn't the smell of spaghetti. Soon, Papyrus came knocking on his door. He wasn't ready to see her, not like this.

  
          "BROTHER, ARE YOU AWAKE?" Papyrus whispered as he opened the door. That's when he lost his temper and growled at his shocked brother. He tried to hide his blue aura behind his phalanges, but it was no use. In a flash, there was Claire, standing in his doorway. Her dark eyes locked on his. She knew he was hiding, holding back his true emotions, but he had to. He had no choice, and she seemed to understand that. That knowledge didn't keep her from being upset about it, however.

  
          She delivered a 'knock, knock' joke to tell him that she had cooked breakfast. It was just too much; he couldn't do this to himself if he was going to keep good on his promises. As soon as she closed the door, he teleported to his safe room in Waterfall, leaning on the back of the bench. Soon as he was there, he allowed his aura and rage to expand. He growled a deep, anguished scream; the sound that echoed off the walls was like the roar of a dragon. He had to get it out, and get back quickly. Neon blue tears welled up from his sockets, and he wiped them away with his sleeves as soon as he couldn't scream any more. He heaved breaths quickly, trying to subdue the remaining anger.

 _'And Papyrus says you never practice...'_   Gaster teased in his mind. A fake, goofy smile plastered to Sans' skull.

  
          He ported back into the kitchen. He was famished, and Claire's food looked amazing. He called her name to let her know he was there before tucking into one of the plates. _'Oh my god...'_   She needed to work at Grillby's, he thought to himself.

          At first, she smiled when she saw him, but then her smile dropped like a stone. She knew he was faking it. His jaw twitched. She stormed from the house, even leaving the scarf behind, and he knew he'd really screwed up. And even if he didn't already know, Papyrus wouldn't let him be ignorant, either.

  
          "SANS, YOU UPSET THE HUMAN. AGAIN. WHY ARE YOU SO ANGRY SANS? YOU NEVER TELL ME WHAT'S BOTHERING YOU. I WANT TO HELP YOU." Amber tears formed in the corner of Pap's eyes. Sans was so ashamed; maybe he had been going about this all wrong this whole time. He just wanted to protect his baby brother, that's all.

  
          "maybe one day, when i'm ready. okay, Pap? but right now, i need to go find Claire, alright." Papyrus sniffled and nodded at him.

  
          He strode out the front door. He could sense her fuming aura in the woods in the direction of Waterfall. _'She's calling for me, Sans.'_   He could hear her cries as well. _'Allow me.'_   Gaster whispered cryptically. Sans waited there on his front porch for a sign. It didn't take long.

 

* * *

 

  
  
**~9.1~ /watch?v=495MUfrcbMc**

  
          Gaster made himself known almost as soon as Claire called for him. She could feel his presence drape over her like a shadow. _'Human, Sans will hear you if you call for him. However, I have an idea. Follow me.'_   An image flashed in her mind. It was the Judgement Hall, she realized. A dark portal opened in front of her, and without fear, she stepped through it. Golden light blinded her. Once her eyes adjusted, she looked around in awe. This place was so beautiful. She could hear birds chirping, and it reminded her that this is where Sans fought Frisk and Chara, albeit in another timeline. 

  
      _'Call for him now. Perhaps here you will both find the answers you seek.'_

  
          _'Sans?'_ In an instant, he was paces away from her. He wore a strained expression when he realized where she'd called him to.

          "why, Claire?" She knew why, Gaster had already explained his idea in her mind without speaking. Somehow, he connected her to Sans. She didn't understand how, but she did get the impression that this connection was only available when she or Gaster wanted it to be available. That particular bit of knowledge must have leaked from Gaster himself, she decided. _'How else would I know that?'_   She withdrew her sheath from her belt and held it out at arms length.

  
          "Come, take it." She was careful not to betray any emotions. She was severely afraid of the many possibly negetive outcomes of this excercise, but she was also a little excited that she might get to see more of Sans' power. She was going to study what he did, and hopefully learn from him. This was part of Gaster's plan. How this was going to answer her earlier questions, however, she couldn't be sure.  _'Patience, my subject.'_ He stepped forward slowly, and reached for the sheath, but at the last second she quick-stepped backwards. His sockets half-lidded, and his pupils darkened slightly.

 

          "oh. is that how this is going to be?" She snickered in response.

  
          "I've never met my match before, Sans. Catch me... If you can." She was complimenting him at the same time that she was challenging him. In response, he raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. His left eye flashed blue, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end at the mischievous grin that he gave her.

  
          "oh, don't you know? we're about to have a great time." His words echoed through the hall. Claire allowed her power to trickle into her senses. Time slowed for her eyes, which had turned black once again. Her hearing became acute. Sans became a blur, but she could tell where he would reappear by a shimmer in the air. She was only given milliseconds between each jump. It had only been moments since she challenged him, and she was already beginning to sweat. To any innocent bystander, the hall would have been filled with charcoal grey and neon blue flashes.

  
          _'Holy fuck, he's fast.'_   So far she had only been dodging him on the floor. A muted explosion echoed through the hall as Claire shot into the air. Webbed dragon's wings sprouted from above her shoulder blades. She made a face, crossing her eyes, and blew a raspberry at him. She was confident that he wouldn't be able to reach her in midair.

  
          From below, Sans had stopped. He scratched the back of his skull for a moment, looking amused. Only the slightest of sounds behind her caused her to whip around at the last moment. He had teleported onto the ceiling, and gravity seemed to have no effect on him or his clothes as he tried to sneak towards her. The Sans below had been an afterimage, a mirage. Sans shrugged, upside-down, and stuffed his hands back into his pockets. 

 

          "clever girl." He mocked teasingly. 

  
          The blurring chase restarted once more. She tried to use the columns to her advantage, but the skeleton simply landed on them at every possibly angle and turn. There was no place in the air for her to hide. A sound halfway between a snarl and a laugh pealed from her throat.  _'Damn this is fun!'_

  
          She was going to have to take this up a notch. She skid to a halt on the ground, and so did he. He was waiting patiently for her next move, instead of using her pause to his advantage. Shocked, she realized that he wanted to see what she could do; just like she wanted to see what he could do. _'He's not even trying yet, is he?'_ From the elbow down, her right arm dissolved into a formless black mist, and then reformed into a long, pitch black kukri blade. The spine of the blade had a silver fuller. The blade had a pulse; it was her Soul.

  
          Sans became rigid at the sight of the blade, but she drew it against her left arm to make a point. The blade was dull, it had no edge, and she didn't bleed. She summoned this weapon simply to block attacks, not to deliver them. Noticing this, Sans loosened up again, and a smirk crawled across his grin.

  
          "heh, that's a neat trick. guess it's my turn." With another snap of his fingers, a blue halo surrounded her Soul Blade, and gravity intensified for her entire body. She remembered this technique from Sans' memories. It was going to be nearly impossible for her to move without intense effort.

  
          "Don't get cocky yet." Her aura solidified around her lower legs, creating another joint below her feet. She had studied the anatomy of reptiles, and was fascinated by how their rear legs worked like springs as they ran on their toes. Her feet had risen to become her new ankles, and dragon's toes splayed out beneath the points of her boots. She imagined that this was what wearing heels would feel like, with the weight of her legs pressed onto her toes. Spiked shin guards rose above her knees to complete the transformation. Thin black horns had sprouted from her hairline and curved back over her head, flicking upwards as they passed the back of her skull. She grinned widely at Sans' stunned expression. 

  
          With his left hand firmly planted in the pockets of his hoodie, he used his right like a conductor's baton as he summoned patterns of bones to throw her direction. She expertly blocked the ones she couldn't avoid, but it soon became apparent that he could do this all day, while she couldn't. She was wearing out faster than he was.

  
          Suddenly, he quick stepped to her left side and reached out for her sheath. She had kept it clamped in her left hand the entire time. He almost got it that time, but she slipped away just in time, smacking his hand lightly with the point of her blade.

  
          "Let's make this interesting." She laughed joyfully for the first time today. She was exhausted but she was having fun at playing cat and mouse. She decided it was time to crank the dial to eleven, and deliver the final act. She wanted to transform into her Draconic armor and take a few hits, maybe test its true durability. 

          In the middle of drawing upon the deepest wells of her power, she froze.

          A cold giggle echoed through her mind.

  
          _"What a pretty knife."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy your fluff? Good. Cause you ain't getting any more for a while.


	10. Chain Links

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Chara makes herself known, a Prince steps into the picture, and nobody knows what the hell is going on anymore.  
> (Also, okay, I lied, there's a _teensy_ amount of fluff sprinkled up in here.)

**~10~  ** **/watch?v=3gbJ2iVqugA**

  
          Something was wrong with her. _'Who is that voice? Where is Gaster?'_   Claire called out for him, but the giggling continued. This wasn't part of the plan.

   
          _"Hello, my name is Chara. Do you want to play a game with me?"_   The giggling became manic and frenzied; It echoed in her mind, and blocked out all other thought. Fear enveloped her like ice. Her right arm began to move slowly and jerkily of its own accord. A black chain choker began to form around her neck, one link at a time. Something was trying to take control of her. Instinctively, she forced all of her weight into her blade arm and speared it into the floor. She cried out in pain as the stone floor scraped at her Soul.

          "Get out. Get out, get out, get out, get out...." She whimpered as she was beginning to lose control.

  
          "what is it Claire?" Sans tried to reach her, but she was focused on her internal struggle. The last few links were beginning to form, and she knew she didn't have much time. She tucked her sheath under her arm and withdrew one of her shivs from her belt with her left hand, pressing it to her own throat.

  
          "It's you, isn't it? You did this. I'll fucking kill us both, right here. GET OUT OF ME YOU FUCKING FREAK! GET THE FUCK OUT!!" He had never heard her so angry before, and Sans panicked and reached to pull Claire's left hand away from her throat, but she immediately warned him.

  
          "SANS NO! IT'S CHARA." At the name, his eyesockets went dark. He froze and watched her. She knew why he had withdrawn that way. "Sans, it's okay. If you have to, kill me. Kill me without prejudice." Tiny, wavering lights appeared in his sockets again, and his expression conveyed a silent, greiving thanks. He looked as if he had already killed her, in a way. Her entire body shivered in fear. If feeling trapped all the time wasn't bad enough, having an unwelcome visitor inside one's body was worse.

  
          She closed her eyes. _'You aren't welcome in here, Chara.'_

  
          _"You're an idiot. You really think you can be good? You think you can be_ _normal?"_    The small voice began, getting straight to the point. _"I've been here ever since you first fell. I saw all those memories of yours. You're a weapon. You know that. How can you ever be anything else?"_    Venom dripped from the whispers echoing through her mind.

  
        _'That's my choice now. You don't get a say. Now... GET. OUT.'_   She was aware, on some level, that she could use her power in this dream-like state. Images flashed in her subconscious, and she knew almost instinctively what to do. When she opened her eyes, she was standing in the dark void with the child, Chara. She reached up to her neck gripping at the unfinished choker.

  
          _"Frisk isn't here this time, but who needs that crybaby when I can have you?"_   Chara's head tilted to the side for a moment. _"A pretty little knife like you... belongs in my right hand!"_  The child laughed maniacally and lunged at her, but she was ready. She ripped the links of chain free from her throat and tossed them at Chara. Where each individual link landed on their form, huge black chains shot up from the shadowy floor and wrapped around their limbs and body. Thick chains wrapped around Chara's neck, choking away her swears and screams.

  
_'If I can't be free, neither can you. You little snot-faced shit.'_

  
           _"You'll kill all of them, you know? It's inevitable."_   Chara clawed desperately at the constricting chains. 

  
        _'Shut up.'_

  
        _ "You're just like me. The humans hated me, too."_    She snarled.

  
      _'SHUT UP!'_

  
        _"We can kill them all together. We can eradicate every last filthy--"_

  
        _'SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!'_   In a rage, Claire flung her hands about, wrapping the spirit of Chara in a cocoon of shadowy chains, praying to the gods that it would hold. Feeling drained, she turned her back on the imprisoned child. A quiet voice and a light hand startled her in the void. Gaster silently conveyed that she should proceed very, veryslowly. She obeyed the warning, slowly opened her eyes and craned her neck to peer up at Sans. At least a dozen dragon's skulls floated around her, poised to attack. It was a terrifying sight. He was prepared for Chara to take her, she realized.

  
          "Sans, I'm back." She whispered gently. He didn't shift, unconvinced. Slowly, without removing her eyes from his steely gaze, she gathered her shivs, placing them on the floor, and sent them skittering across the room to her left. Then, she gripped her sheath. After a deep, shuddering breath she held it up within his reach.

  
          "I'm... I'm disarming. I won't let anyone get hurt, even if... if it means... that I... I..." She choked back sobs. How could this have happened? _'Maybe I'm meant to be a slave like this, like some sort of sick destiny...?'_

  
          Hesitating, he gripped the sheath gently in his left hand. Her choker reformed, tinged with his bright blue this time. She opened her mouth to say something else, and then shut it again. Sans let out a deep exhale, and then crouched down to her level. He spoke cautiously, as if trying not to frighten an animal.

  
          "i was afraid something like this might happen. you know you can trust me, right kiddo?" She knew she could. After all that she'd been through in the last few days, she trusted him with her life, and now with her Soul. Without saying anything else, she gazed into his lights, searching for the best response. She allowed her entire body to turn into a dark mist, which then flowed into the mouth of the sheath, forming a blade to rest inside.

  
          Her voice was metallic in his mind. "I trust you not to abuse this." She said flatly, before allowing her mind to go blank from sheer exhaustion.

 

**~10.1~  ** **(Sans POV)**

          Sans wracked his mind for answers. The little parasite, Chara, had forced her way inside of Claire. He wondered if Flowey had anything to do with it. Then again, when did Flowey not have anything to do with unexpected bad turns of events? He sunk deeper into his own thoughts, boney brow furrowing. He had tried to piece together what had happened in the last timeline, but unfortunately he had died before the reset happened. What, or who, had changed this timeline so inexplicably?

  
          He held up the sheathed blade and examined the hilt. It was wrapped in the same black leather, and a silver keychain dangled off of the end. A voice echoed sleepily in his mind; it was Claire.

  
        _'The end of the hilt; that's called the tail.'_   As Sans' eyes passed over certain features of the blade, she called out the names of the parts. _'The tang rests in the handle... Those are ridges for grip... That's the bolster, keeps the blade from snapping...'_   He drew the blade out and looked across the lower spine. Claire's reflection shown dimly off of the jet surface. _'That groove is the fuller... the notch there is called the cho... where the blade curves is the peak and the bevel...'_   Mesmerized, Sans began to withdraw the blade all of the way, but it shot back into the throat of the sheath with force. _'D-don't draw me. I'm exhausted, and if you do that it's going to release a lot of energy, okay?'_   Sans nodded, saying nothing. He wondered where he was going to store her at, considering he didn't wear a belt.

  
          "hey kiddo, mind if i borrow your belt? for, ya'know, reasons?" A moment passed, as if she hesitated, but then black aura creeped out from the throat and formed into the same black belt she had worn earlier. An idea popped into his mind. Sans unzipped his blue hoodie, revealing a white undershirt. He then shimmied his slacks down on one side just enough so that he could see his pelvis. He slid the sword into the notch on the belt. Sans began to thread the leather through the hole on the left side, but the sword floated up and drew itself just enough so he could see Claire's reflection in the metal.

  
          _'W-what are you doing?'_ Even though she could barely hold her eyes open, she was still visibly flustered, and Sans couldn't help but giggle at her reaction.

  
          "darlin', where else do you expect me to hide you at?" She glanced around frantically, and her eyes rested on his shoulders.

  
          ' _Maybe, in your rib cage then? You know, tie me to the clavicle or something?'_

  
          "that space is kinda occupied..." Now it was Sans' turn to blush. His Soul rested inside his rib cage, and having her Soul so close to his would be torturous in a lot of ways. In sudden understanding, he flashed her a mischievous look. "what, are you afraid you're gonna see my coccyx?" Even in the dark reflection, Claire's face flushed a bright red and the blade jerked back into hiding again. "i mean tailbone, heheheh, just messin' with ya kiddo. s'only bones, don't sweat it, 'kay?"

  
        _'I-I knew that.'_   Sans was choking back laughter now. This was just too precious. At the same time however, the situation brought negetive feelings of nihilism back to the surface. In a way, her shyness flattered him; but to himself, he wondered in awe as to how she could possibly trust him like this. He was so sure that things would have already gone to hell by now. She'd surprised him, and he was sure she surprised herself, too. As he thought, he finished tying her to his outer-left hip, so that the sheath hung next to his femur.

  
          "Sans? What're you doing out here?" A youthful, masculine voice called from across the room. At first, Sans thought it was Asgore, and he turned to greet the old man. He stopped dead in his tracks. A young goat-monster strode toward him with an air of awkward grace. It was the gait of a young man who was trying too hard to seem important. King Asgore paced just behind him.

  
          "Sans, who were you talking to just now?" Asgore questioned gently.

  
          "oh, you know, just thinking out loud." Sans chuckled, slapping on his best poker face. With any luck, the two wouldn't question him further. Asgore didn't seem convinced, but let the subject drop after a moment. The breath that Sans had been holding released slowly with his tension.

  
          "I suppose I'm in luck." Asgore placed a hand on the young monster's shoulders. "Sans, could you escort Asriel to the Ruins for me? He's overdue for a trip to see his mother."

  
          Sans' pupils shrank until they were almost gone, but that was the only thing that might have betrayed his surprise. _'Sans... what is it?'_   An image of Claire rubbing at her sleepy eyes flashed in his mind, but he forced it away. _'not now kiddo, not now.'_   Sans shrugged and grinned at the pair nonchalantly. "sure thing. i've got time."

  
          Time was absolutely what he didn't have. The trip back to the Ruins door would take all day without his patented short cuts. _'Wait, I thought you couldn't go back to the ruins? It's not a one way door?'_   That's what Sans had thought as well, and he definitely remembered that Asriel had died. That wasn't something any monster could ever forget. Those were very dark days.

  
          So Toriel was the woman who lived in the ruins... Asriel's mother. It made sense. He remembered the royal couple fighting after Asriel had fallen down. They disagreed on how to handle further humans. Asgore, of course, wanted to collect the seven souls necessary to break the barrier. Toriel, on the other hand, could not stand the idea, and left him. She had disappeared, and no monster knew where she had went. From what he gathered, they had apparently still had a fight, as they were separated, but it wasn't started over Asriel's death, because he was standing right here...

  
          "Sans, come on!" Asriel was leaving him behind. He'd been so lost in his thoughts that he'd forgotten to keep walking.

  
          "keep your _goat_ on, i'm comin'."

  
          "Ughhh, Sans please don't." Claire's snickers echoed in the background of his thoughts. At least someone appreciated his jokes; it was a small comfort.

  
      _'So, wait, isn't Flowey...?'_   Claire was remembering bits and pieces of Sans' own memories. He internally tried to explain what had happened, back in his own timeline.

  
          _'in another timeline, Chara was the first human to fall down here. Asgore and Toriel took in the human as if they were their own child. then one day, Chara got sick and died. grieving, Asriel took the human's soul and carried the body back to the human's village, but they attacked him. they thought he killed them. badly wounded, Asriel returned to the underground, but he had fallen down, and turned to dust.'_

  
_'But that doesn't explain Flowey...'_

  
_'Alphys was ordered by Asgore to experiment with human determination. they thought that if they could harvest determination, that they wouldn't need seven souls to break the barrier. in her experiments, she tried to use determination on a living organism without a soul: a golden flower, the first golden flower. but the flower disappeared. we believe that Asriel's dust was affected, and his essence merged with the flower.'_

  
          _'Then how is Flowey here...? If Asriel is still alive?'_

  
      _'i don't know. i just don't know.'_

  
      _'Oh, but I know.'_   Gaster chuckled. He spoke in an old language; one that Sans would understand, but Claire would not.

  
      _'care to enlighten us, old man?'_

  
          _'Patience my boy. In due time.'_

  
_'Sans, what is he saying?'_

  
          "Sans, watch it!" Asriel shouted as Sans tripped on a lava rock. They'd walked briskly all the way back to Hotland, but the conversation in Sans' mind had distracted him from his feet.

  
          "sorry, buddy." Sans recovered quickly.

  
          "What is wrong with you, dude? You're acting weird." Asriel openly called him out on his odd behavior, but luckily he was more prepared this time.

  
          "i'm just tired. being all over the underground takes it's toll on ya. i can just feel the exhaustion _in my bones_."

  
          “Saaaannnsss...” Asriel groaned, reminding him of Papyrus.

  
        _‘that’s it. got a plan to ditch the kiddo.’_   Sans stayed quiet as he shifted course to Alphys’ place.

  
           “Sans why are we going this way?”

  
           “i’ve got some business to take care of here. sound cool?” Sans grinned nonchalantly towards an uncertain Asriel. He planned on using Alphys' phone to call Papyrus, and convince his brother to finish the escort mission. He might even frame it as a chance to prove that his brother deserves to be in the royal guard, but then again, that might be a little too cruel. Papyrus was strong, no one doubted that, but even Undyne knew he was just too nice.

  
          Sans stepped up to Alphys' door and knocked before pressing the buzzer. Her stuttering voice carried through the static of the speaker system.

  
          "Oh, S-Sans... W-what cccan I do for... Oh, PPPrince Asriel! CCCome right in!" The door slid open. Alphys appeared flushed and nervous, and Sans discovered why when she stepped aside. Papyrus was sprawled out in her floor with an anime figurine in each hand. It looked like he and Alphys had been playing with all sorts of them, as they were strewn about.

  
          "OH HEY SANS! SAY, DID YOU EVER FIND-" Sans pupils blinked out. From where he was standing, behind Asriel, he quickly signed the words _'do not say human.'_   He was using a type of sign language that only he, Papyrus, and Gaster knew. He could feel Claire's frustration mounting, but she stayed silent, resting. Papyrus understood instantly and recovered. "GASP! PRINCE ASRIEL! WHAT BRINGS YOU OUT HERE!?!" Papyrus jumped up from his place on the floor and hug-slammed into the Prince.

  
          "Mmph! I'm going to see mom." Asriel grumbled once he shrugged off Sans' hyperactive skelebro. It highly disturbed Sans that Papyrus and Asriel both seemed familiar to the would-be-dead Prince. This timeline sure was different. 

  
          "well, ah, this probably works out good then. heya Pap, wanna escort Asriel down to the Ruins? i got some business here with Alphys, and i don't wanna keep our Prince waiting, y'know?" That was all the excuse Papyrus needed.

  
          "YOU MEAN LIKE A.... BODYGUARD~!!!" Papyrus squealed and grabbed Asriel by the arms and dashed away with him. "I WILL BE THE BEST BODYGUARD YOU'VE EVER HAD YOUR MAJESTY! WE'RE GOING TO THE RUINS AND YOU'LL BE SO SAFE THE ENTIRE WAY AND WE'LL GET THERE SO FAST AND---"

  
          And he was gone.


	11. Change of Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Sans discovers hope and feels, instant noodles, botany, and the regrets of a flower.

**~11~** **(Sans POV) /watch?v=dILCEPS6m2A**

          "say, Al... what was Pap doin' here anyway?" Sans turned to find that the yellow she-monster had been trying to creep away in the commotion, but to no avail. Alphys knew that Sans had no intentions of letting her go without getting an explanation. Something didn't feel right about all of this.

  
          "Wwwwell, Sans, you see, uh, he just kinda, showed up here, and uh, he said he was waiting for Asriel. He, um, said he'd be here soon, and uh... Sans?" Alphys stared down at the floor and twirled her painted claws together in front of her, looking as if she did something wrong. She didn't do anything wrong, but Sans still pressed her for more information.

  
          "how did he know?" Sans eyes were darkening slowly.

  
          "Wwhat? Oh, OH, um, he said a 'tiny ttttalking flower' told him."

  
          "did he mention a color?" His pupils blinked out.

  
          "Oh, um, I don't remember, ah, he was talking so fast--"

  
          "Al, this is really important." He was suddenly directly in front of Alphys.

  
          Alphys flinched so hard she stumbled backwards a few feet. "OH, I think he ssssaid it was ye-ye-yellow? Why is ttthat important, Sans?"

  
          "you ever seen a yellow flower, Al?"

  
          Alphys pondered on this for a moment, her expression shifted from shock to concern after a moment. "Actually, no. I don't believe there ARE any yellow flowers in the underground. Most of them are shades of blues and purples..." Sans cut her off. He knew the answer already. He was just making a point to get Alphys to see where he was going with this. There were golden flowers in the underground, in the last reset. Suddenly, it clicked for him. Somewhere in the back of Claire's mind, Gaster laughed softly, the sound like a cross between baritone wind-chimes and garbled static.

  
          "exactly. time to get up kiddo." Sans tapped on the sheath through the fabric of his slacks. Black fog flowed out from the bottom of his pants leg, and Claire reformed herself. She sat cross-legged on the floor, rubbing at tired eyes. Alphys stumbled backwards, confused as to how the magic-imbued human had appeared from no where.

  
          "Saaaaaaannnnsssss..." She whined, but Sans tutted.

  
          "we'll get something to eat on the way over, that'll help with your energy levels. hey Claire?" His pupils were still blacked out, and he could see unease growing beneath her heavy eyelids.

  
          "Yeah?"

  
          "you like gardening?" He allowed the faintest hint of a snarl to curl into his voice and grin.

  
          "You woke me up to ask me---"

  
          "cause we're about to go dunk a weed." Poor Alphys almost fainted. A dark, mischievous smirk flashed across Sans' face, and his soft laughter sent a chill up Claire's spine. This was definitely new.

  
          She flushed lightly. Although she would never admit to it, he could plainly see that she was into this. He couldn't wait to see her reaction when it was time for him to growl. The thought sent a shiver up his spinal column. He saw a similar reaction from her before, when he let her see into the memories where he had tried to kill Chara. She had been frightened, but at once drawn to him. He knew that if she could have hidden the reaction, she would have. But then again, was she even aware of it? Was she aware that he was beginning to care for her? 

  
          And then, could she, or would she, reciprocate?

  
          Alphys had long since stuffed herself into the refrigerator, waiting for the tension to pass. She brought out a can of soda and a pack of instant noodles. Insisting that they were better dry, she handed the items to Claire. "H-Here, these will get your s-strength up until y-y get some real food, okkkay?"

  
          Claire stood shakily to take them, and at the gesture. It was incredibly awkward, but she brought the frightened Alphys into a feeble hug. "Thanks... and sorry for almost... you know, freaking out on you, before."

  
          Claire released the embarrassed lizard and turned back to Sans, smiling gently. He couldn't suppress the blue light that blinked in his left eye. In a way, he was excited. Things were different this time around. Events were new and the unknown made him fearful, but at the same time exhilarated. His mind whirled with possibility, and for a moment his consciousness disconnected. Imagined images of possible futures flickered past his inner eye. Then it occurred to him... What if this was **THE** Reset, the one he'd been suffering for, waiting for, all of this time? Gaster's corrupted chuckles filtered into his thoughts. Claire cracked open the can of soda, it's sickening hiss punctuating her words, bringing Sans back into the present moment.

  
          "I _love_ botany. When can we _leaf_?" Claire mimicked Sans by shoving her unoccupied hand in her jacket and closing her left eye in a slow wink.

  
_'a w  h e l l  y e s .'_

**~11.1~ (Flowey POV) /watch?v=V8-7n4aG3ns**

          Some things never changed. He'd been through countless resets, over and over again, and there were just certain small events that always happened, no matter what. Especially at the beginning of the reset, when the changes were fresh, and had minute impact. Papyrus was one of these certainties. He always came out to recalibrate and tinker with his puzzles. Flowey made his move on the second day.

  
          He timed his appearance as he usually did, popping up behind the enigmatic skeleton while he was tinkering with a machine that generated grid puzzles. Flowey watched him for a minute, cautiously, looking for any signs of irritation in Papyrus. He was watching for anything that would indicate to him that this Papyrus was any different from his Papyrus. That is, the one he had come to know, before the timelines started jumping around and anomalies began forming. Satisfied that this Papyrus was relatively normal, he spoke up, running through his lines.

  
          "Howdy!" The skeleton brother whipped around with a curious expression. "I'm Flowey! Are you the Great Papyrus? I'm your biggest fan!" Hook, line, and sinker.

  
          "OH, WHY YES! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! IT IS NICE TO MEET YOU FLOWEY." Papyrus stepped over and crouched in front of Flowey, as normal. So far so good, he just needed to direct the conversation and cause Papyrus to act how Flowey wanted him to. This whole plan was seriously risky, but what choice did he have if he wanted to succeed? Oh, how he wanted this to work.

  
          "Oh, my goodness! I've always wanted to meet a member of the royal guard." Flowey let mock praise drip over his words. He knew it would pass with Papyrus, he was just too naive. It was always his biggest setback.

  
          "WELL, I'M NOT A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD. NOT YET. BUT I DO TRAIN WITH UNDYNE ALL THE TIME!" Flowey watched as a familiar cast of disappointment flickered across Papyrus's face. _'Yes, that's it.'_

  
          "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that." Flowey feigned disappointment as well, knowing it would bolster those feelings within Papyrus. He continued the conversation as he always did, questioning Papyrus as to why he thought he hadn't been made a member yet. And as always, Papyrus was sure that Undyne just wanted to train him more, so that he could be the absolute best he could be. Flowey pretended to be unconvinced, but this time, he tweaked his lines.

  
          "Maybe you just need a chance to prove yourself?" He wondered out loud, sounding as if he were talking to himself more than to Papyrus. "Oh, I know just the thing!" Papyrus perked up a little. He had been beginning to look down, and now all Flowey had to do was reel him in with the plan. Papyrus was just the bait he needed to draw Sans and his human back here, and away from- himself?- the other Asriel.

  
          "WHAT IS IT FLOWEY?"

  
          "What if I told you... That I knew how you could impress the Prince?"

  
          Now it was Papyrus's turn to appear unconvinced. "OH? HOW?"

  
          "He's going to travel all the way from New Home back to the Ruins pretty soon to see Queen Toriel, and he's going to need someone to escort him there. I bet if you left soon, you might be able to meet him at the Laboratory!" Papyrus's eyes were brightening, filling with sparkles of hope at the chance to impress the Prince. _'It's working!'_

  
          "THAT'S A GOOD IDEA FLOWEY! IF ONLY I HAD KNOWN THIS SOONER! THANK YOU SO MUCH TINY YELLOW FLOWER! THE GREAT PAPYRUS SINCERELY APPRECIATES YOUR HELP IN HIS ENDEAVORS! NYEHEHEHEH!!" And away he went at a steady, loping run, kicking up snow as he went.

  
          Flowey's petals drooped, shaking off a few lumps of snow. _'Well, that was the easy part.'_   The next part was going to be a hundred times harder, and he only had one shot at it. It wasn't like he could reset and try again, those days were over for him. Convincing Sans of his plan was not going to be a fun experience, he knew that. But the new human, Claire, now she was the true apex of his plan. Maybe if he could convince her...

  
      _'Oh who am I kidding?'_  He stared down at one of his leaves, they were becoming translucent around the edges. What little physical matter he had left was stripped away with the last reset. (Apparently, one could not be both a paradox, and have a physical being at the same time.) At this point, it didn't matter to him if he faded away. That was what he originally wanted anyway, wasn't it? To finally die? It was the determination that stopped him, and it was the only thing holding his form together now. And now, even that was slowly slipping away like sand in an hourglass.

  
          Even if he wasn't capable of feeling pain, he did feel regret. How had Chara's plan gone so far astray? He shuddered to think that Chara may have planned all of this all along. Flowey remembered when he met Chara in the garbage dump. Frisk had fallen for a second time, and the blow was just enough to allow his old friend to take over. Flowey thought that Chara would make the human give him their Soul when the time came to take all seven souls and break the barrier. _'That was the plan,'_   he thought meekly.  
Instead, Chara had tried to kill him.

 

* * *

 

  
          "Why Chara!? Why was I not enough for you?" He remembered screaming out to his sibling. If he could have cried, he would have, but all he felt then was rage and betrayal. Chara giggled and slashed at him without responding. Shielding vines tore under the force of her knife. Flowey disappeared underground and reappeared behind Chara. The inner whorls that comprised his face contorted and a snout formed, he was drawing on what he used to be, unconsciously. "I didn't watch you die for this!" So Chara whirled and fought; and Flowey dodged, counter-attacking with energy pellets and vines, but to no avail. After a while, Flowey ran away. He knew that without the help of the human souls, he would be no match for Chara, and their plan would collapse.

  
          Or rather, his plan, as it seemed Chara had decided to change hers.

  
          _"You're just like Asgore... a damn coward."_   Chara sneered. _"You wouldn't take the human souls when you were supposed to."_   She was referring to the original plan. Asriel was supposed to use Chara's soul power to kill and collect six more souls before returning to break the barrier from the outside. That plan had failed because Asriel couldn't do it. He couldn't work up the will to hurt the humans, especially when they fought so hard to "protect" one of their own. He knew that if he did, he'd only start another war.

  
            And then where would they be?

  
          _"I'm done with everything. I don't need you, I don't need anything. I'm going to erase E V E R Y T H I N G."_   For the first time in an eternity, Flowey's vines had shook with _fear_. This wasn't what he wanted. He couldn't let Chara win, not now, after he'd worked so long to get this close. As much as a nihilist as he had become, he still didn't want this for the ones he left behind. Killing them had no lasting consequences, everything always reset eventually. But to erase everything... He wasn't ready to quit.

  
          He wouldn't be able to play the game anymore.

  
          _Nobody would._

  
          "Don't you have anything better to do?"


	12. Flower Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein there is a pit stop at Grillbz, tongue-tied-ness, awkward puns, and answers create more questions.  
> Gee golly, who-da-thunk?

**~12~**  
  
          Sans led Claire back outside into Hotland, before grabbing her arm unexpectedly and teleporting them both back to Snowdin. The sudden cold was a relief compared to the sweltering heat of the lava-imbued region, but the shock was intense. She downed the soda, feeling a light burst of energy, and set the can down in a cigarette urn outside the front door of Grillby's. Wordlessly, he led her inside. She noticed that he was wearing his trademarked smile again, but seeing it didn't make her feel very happy. Grillby waved at the two, but his expression seemed to falter. Perhaps he noticed how somber the pair seemed.

  
          "two usuals to-go, Grillbz. just makin' a pit stop." Grillby nodded curtly and set off at a brisk pace. He seemed to know instinctively that Sans was in a rush.

  
          Claire was beginning to worry for Sans. She had tried to lighten his mood with a pun earlier, but it only seemed to stress him out even more. The way he acted earlier, so dark and threatening; she wasn't sure how she felt about all of that. A warmth crawled in her gut, but it was a sensation she'd never felt before and she tried to push it away. Her hands shook as she took a paper bag of food from Grillby. His flaming hands were cool as her fingers brushed them, and another pun popped into her head. _'Maybe I shouldn't,'_   But she couldn't help herself.

  
          "Wow, Grillby. You're so _cool_." He crackled, a few sparks flying up from his head. She supposed that was an indication that he was either surprised, flattered, or both. He brought his hand to his face, adjusting his glasses.

  
          "Take care, you two." He spoke warmly.

  
          "sure thing, Grillbz." If Sans was affected at all by her joke, he was trying his hardest not to show it. She followed him out of the restaurant and past the _"Welcome to Snowdin!"_   sign. He seemed to know where he was going, so she didn't press him for details. She dunked her hand into the steaming bag and grabbed a handful of fries to nibble on.

  
          Sans, on the other hand, spared no time in demolishing his food. A blue light eminated from his face. From behind, she couldn't see much, but when he lifted the burger to his mouth, what appeared to be a glowing, blue appendage wrapped around the meal. The entire burger was pulled into his gaping maw at once, and he didn't even seem to swallow. _'No esophagus...'_   She thought numbly. Unconsciously, she had stopped walking. A fry fell from her loosened grip and plopped into the snow.

  
          Sans noticed that the crunching snow behind him had ceased, and he stopped, too. His head turned ever so slightly back toward her, just enough so that she could confirm her suspicions. _'That's a... it's a...'_

  
          "what? don't tell me you're... tongue tied?" Another smirk curled into his smile. Was he enjoying this? What was his deal anyway?

  
          There was that warmth again. This time it crawled through her gut and over her cheeks. She knew she was flushing, but she hoped the cold over her face would help hide it. It most likely wouldn't, she assumed, knowing how observant Sans was. She crammed a fistful of fries into her face so that she wouldn't be able to respond to his jab.

  
          He hummed contentedly and turned away from her, continuing on. She followed, attempting to drown her flustered mind in grease as she deconstructed her food. On an instinctual level, she knew exactly what he was doing, if not why. But there was no way that she would admit that to herself, even after all of the things she had been through recently. They were friends, she could admit that much, but no more. That fact alone was foreign enough, without...

  
          Sans held up his right hand with the fingers splayed. It was a silent gesture to stop, and she did immediately. A long moment passed.

  
          "Hey there, Sans." A chirping voice called out from afar. Claire looked around, but didn't see anyone. "Down here stupid human!"

  
          When she looked down, a tiny golden flower sneered up at her. It's face twisted with hatred. It was disconcerting, seeing something as cute as a flower look so creepy. _'Wait, did it just call me stupid?'_   Her left eye twitched, and her perplexed expression faded into annoyance.

  
          "hey buddy. i thought i told you...

  
          ... t o  n e v e r  s p e a k  t o  m y  b r o t h e r  a g a i n  ? " Sans voice echoed across the forest in a low growl that reverberated through her entire body.

  
          A shiver ran up Claire's spine unbidden. _'Holy fuck...'_   She wasn't scared, yet her heart raced. Feeling disconnected, she was in awe of her own emotions. _'Am I excited...?'_

  
          "Now j-just a minute Sans, that was all part of the plan--EEEEK!" Sans reached forward with an energized blue hand and motioned as if he were pulling the flower up by the roots. Flowey's form stretched and he screeched in surprise. Something wasn't right about all this, but she couldn't quite remember what she was searching for.

  
          "Sans, wait." He glanced at Claire as she stepped around him. She placed a hand on his arm gently and pushed it down. Flowey settled back down to the ground, disheveled from the attack.

  
          "Eh? T-thanks?" The flower pressed the tips of two leaves together nervously. When it looked back up at her, she suddenly realized where she'd seen it before.

  
          "You." She started firmly, startling the little creature. "You attacked me when I hid down in the Ruins. You nearly strangled me!" It waved its leaves frantically, shriveling back from her pointer finger in it's face.

  
          "Nononononono, see, you don't understand. That wasn't me."

  
          "Are there any other yellow flower monsters down here?" Claire sneered, but she already knew the answer.

  
          "W-well n-no b-but..." He stammered.

  
          "But?" She copied.

  
          "That was Chara." Faintly, Claire thought she could hear chains rattling.

  
          "i knew it." Sans stepped aside Claire and plopped down into the snow, sitting cross legged. Claire copied him, but removed her jacket and laid it down to protect her bottom from getting wet in the snow. "you get one chance, flower-boy. Talk."

 

* * *

 

  
  
**~12.1~** **(Flowey POV)**  
  
          _'Ouch...'_  Flowey thought that being completely incorporeal would have at least some benefits, but, other than being able to pass through walls and small objects, he hadn't found them. The insulting pun was annoying, but since he didn't have any feelings to be hurt, it was otherwise tolerable. Other than a crumpled stalk, and being in a constant state of non-existance, he was still sort of alive? He could both imagine and remember at least four dozen ways in which Sans could have completely obliterated him, and yet by some miracle it didn't happen.

  
          "Okay, okay, okay." Flowey held up two leaves for the pair to see, as if he were holding out his hands. "Anything look different to you, bonehead?"

  
          "yeah, you're looking a little pale there, buddy." Sans started off his reply harsh, but Claire interjected by leaning forward to look a little closer.

  
          "I guess you're not usually see-through, are you?" She asked him.

  
          "Eh... right. Sans knows pretty much everything that happened before the Reset, at least, before he got _shanked_ by Chara. That's why I drew you guys out here, okay. You need to know what happened at the very end... Just... _ugh..._ I'm sick of explaining already... just hold my leaves." In a quiet grumble he whispered vague childish profanities. _'Ugh this is so stupid fuahgrahbahagraaa...'_

  
          "absolutely not. you think i can just forget everything you've ever done an---"

  
          "Sure." Claire's confident whisper carried to Flowey's hearing over his grumblings, and he cast her a look of awe. He knew she didn't trust him, but her confidence alone amazed him. He thought it was incredibly stupid.

  
          "Claire wait---" Sans reached forward to stop her, but his bony grip contacted her wrist just as she gently held Flowey's translucent leaf between two fingers. A wash of memories overcame them all. 


	13. The Omega Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Flowey reveals information, Chara has officially lost their chill, and Claire has a mind-break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to straight up apologize for taking so long to update. I was trying to add a chapter every two or three days but some life got in the way of things. You guys know how it is. Anyway, I have some ideas now, and I'm going to go splurge-write to catch up. Yippee!! ^_~

**~13~ /watch?v=XbG1UqiaLgE**

          The three of them floated as spectators in a dark abyss as a memory played out beneath them. The twisted figure of Chara hovered above a liquid black ground, her figure dripping a blood red aura. In front of her, a monstrosity loomed. Vines as thick as tree trunks and coated in ragged thorns snaked around the perimeter. Cables coiled and pulsed around its midsection, which comprised mostly of two jutting rows of gnashing teeth, slavering and snapping. Multiple pairs of bulging eyes twitched and glared down upon Chara. On top of the writhing creature was placed a large monitor, like a television, and upon it was Flowey's visage. The creature drew in a shuddering breath, and released an echoing, sinister, diabolical laughter that shook Claire to her core.

  
          "S-Sans... What the fuck is that!?" Unconsciously, she was latched onto his arm, but it was the tiny Flowey who answered.

  
          "I absorbed the six souls, and became a god... er, almost." He said quietly, almost proudly. Information that had been tucked away in Claire's mind came back into focus. She remembered the six human souls that the Monster King, Asgore, had stashed away.

  
        _"G e t o u t o f m y w a y."_ Chara looked pitiful up against the massive beast before her, but she remained unfazed. She dripped malice.

  
          "I'm not letting you erase this timeline, Chara! We're not done here." The creatures voice echoed out loud and low, its words sinister, but somehow also hopeful.

  
        _"I am SO over this world. I'm leaving."_ Chara declared pointedly. _"I'm going somewhere new, and you're not going to stop me. Even with those souls, you're not in control anymore."_  If Claire didn't know any better, she would have mistaken Chara's tone of voice for that of any other entitled little brat's. The mutant Flowey snarled. Chara simply smiled. There was a moment of pause, then the two sprung into battle.

  
          The fight that ensued was intense, and shook the nothingness with a deep rumbling. If there was anything left to crumble, it would have. With each swipe of Chara's tiny blade, a sweeping arc of deep red gashed across the space and struck the giant Flowey. He countered with energy stars, flamethrowers, shooting vines, bombs, and even fly-catcher-looking appendages. He tried to shield with his vines, but his defenses were slowly beginning to crumble. Even the souls were unleashing colorful energy attacks upon Chara; knives, ballet shoes, bullets, frying pans, gloves, and music notes shot forward in an attempt to damage her. Even with all of that brute force and sheer power, it seemed as if they weren't even touching the demon-child.

  
          "CHARAAAA!!!" An ear-splitting screech reverberated across the landscape. Vines lashed forward and trapped the child, squeezing them in a grip that would have crushed any normal human.

  
          _"AHHHHHH~ HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"   _Chara mocked a cry of pain before dissolving into insane laughter. _"I'm going to erase timeline after timeline... I'm SiCk Of ThEm ALl! i'M sIcK, YoU'RE aLL So DiSgUsTING!" _  The darkness began to pulse with bloody light. Claire nearly jumped out of her skin when tiny Flowey spoke softly, hovering right behind her and Sans.

  
          "I didn't know what to do, but the souls helped me prevent Chara from reaching the timeline she really wanted." Time in the memory seemed to slow into a freeze as Flowey explained. "She wanted a timeline in which she didn't die, so she could go back and corrupt her own mind with these memories. She wanted her body back, just so she could destroy everything again." Flowey sounded dejected and repulsed. Sans drew in a deep shuddering breath while nodding his head slightly. His eyesockets were dark and his grin had long since twisted into an agonized frown.

  
          "that **thing** will never be happy. they made that clear a long time ago... my timeline then... it's...?" Sans flinched when Flowey replied in a sigh.

  
          "Yep. Gone."

  
          "But then h-how...?" Claire interjected, but was cut off as the time-stream below them resumed. The dark red light pulsed light a arrhythmic heart, beating with wild panic. Just as everything seemed to drown in the shade, the multi-colored souls dropped into a circle around Chara and spun wildly. A white light penetrated the dull red sea just as the fabric of the universe began to tear. The tears looked so strange, Claire thought to herself; space seemed to warp and dark holes formed, the void beyond white in some places and black in others, and other tears looked more like static.

  
           _"STOP IT! StOp ALTeRiNg My COUrSe!! YOU cAN't bEaT Me! I'Ll DeSTrOY tHeM ALL! I'LL ERASE EVERYTHING!!!"_   A shrill bloodcurdling ululation pierced the remains of the universe. The incorporeal Chara dove at the Flowey-monstrosity, followed by the six whirling human souls...

          ...and the void consumed everything. 

 

* * *

 

 

 **~13.1~**  
  
          Claire snapped open her eyes. The snow was blinding compared to the void that she had just witnessed. She lurched onto her back and scrambled to get away from the little yellow flower. She shook from the cold, and from the panic that had set into her mind like poison. At this point, she almost regretted leaving KILN. In fact, if it weren't for Sans, she'd probably already be racing back, trying to bust her way backwards through the barrier. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with that world-eating Chara or freaky-Flowey; with Resets and Saves; with time-streams and imploding universes.

  
          If it weren't for the chain choker keeping her powers in check, she'd be drowning in jet flames. Forgetting her jacket, she turned on her heel in an attempt to climb into a sprint. Her nails dug into a tree truck, trying desperately to gain purchase as she slipped in the thick snow. At the moment she was able to become upright, however, her muscles froze.

  
          "stop." Sans command wrapped around her Soul, and her body was forced to comply. Her own aura fought against her every urge to be far, far away from everything, just at a simple word. It was an infuriatingly familiar sensation.

  
          "c'mere." It didn't register as a command, because he simply didn't mean it as one. He was asking her, not telling her. She stiffened, becoming embarrassingly aware of the tears that were streaming down her face. _'Goddammit, if only there were some way to turn off these fucking water-works...'_

  
          Sans had stood up, brushing snow off of her wet jacket, before draping it over his arm. He glanced down at Flowey, whispering something dark and inaudible, before turning back toward her with a warm smile. (Flowey's incorporeal face paled even further with shock before plopping into the ground like a groundhog who saw his shadow.)

          Claire suddenly found it very difficult to straighten herself, and turn to face him, much less meet his eyes. Fortunately, he didn't ask for it. He simply stepped over to her, and took her hand.

  
          In a blink, she was standing above the skeleton brothers living room, in the open hallway that led to their rooms. Sans tugged her inside of his room, latching the door shut behind him. In a series of flashes, he threw the gnarly ball of sheets from his bed, replaced it with two fresh blankets - one to lay on and one to sleep under, added a pillow stolen from Papyrus's room, whisked Claire off of her feet, removed her wet boots, and tucked her into bed. The realization of all of this hit her hard, and a choking sob escaped from her throat. She buried her face into a pillow and bit down, hoping to choke back the torrent.

  
          _'What is my life? What is this...? Why... Why...'_  Even her thoughts were incoherent as she sobbed. Sans pet her hair gently to let her know he was still there.

  
          "i'm going to go get my brother. i'll be back before you know it. but until then, sleep." Claire's body immediately stilled in it's shaking and her lungs calmed to a deep, slow rhythm. A dreamless sleep overtook her.

  
          Somewhere far away, she heard chains rattling.


	14. Sweet Irony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Papyrus is the biggest sweetheart, Gaster is the biggest douchenozzle, and Sans is... oh.

**~14~**

          It seemed like only a moment later that she was willed into wakefulness. Claire shifted in the messy blankets, scanning the dark room with blurred vision to see if Sans was there, to find that she was alone. _'He must have withdrawn the sleep command unconsciously...'_  She thought to herself. The memories of the events of the last several hours came tumbling back to her, and she shuddered. Every attempt she made at being anything close to normal always seemed to come back around to bite her in the rear. She couldn't even make breakfast without tripping into a fight. She squeezed her eyes shut, curling in on herself. If she continued to think like that, she'd start crying again.

  
          Footsteps thudded up the stairs, too loud to be Sans. _'Papyrus?'_  In answer, the door to Sans room opened slowly, and Pap's worried skull peeked through the crack.

  
          "Human?" For once, he spoke extremely quietly and softly. It was very unsettling for her to hear him like that, and it got her attention. "Are you awake?"

  
          Claire hummed in affirmation, and Papyrus stepped inside. She sat up in the bed, running her hands over her hair, and leaned against the wall. She blinked sleepily as the nervous skeleton kneeled at the edge of the bed and rested his bony chin in his hands. "Sans said you weren't feeling well earlier, are you doing better now?"

  
          She rubbed her eyes in a subtle attempt to hide a blush. "Y-yeah I guess I am. I had another panic attack." She sighed into her hands. _'When am I going to pull it together? This is so embarrassing.'_

  
          "A panic attack? Sort of like what happens to Sans sometimes?" Papyrus frowned, suddenly looking like a lonely puppy. He was beginning to seem more like a child all the time.

  
          "Yeah, sort of like that. It happens when I get really scared." She rubbed her hands on her arms absentmindedly. She didn't want to look Papyrus in the eyes, and he seemed to notice. His eyesockets narrowed slightly.

  
          "What are you scared of?" He asked naively, tilting his head to try to meet her eyes. _'If he could be any more innocent, I swear...'_  Claire huffed, rolling her eyes, and searched for a suitable response. She shifted uncomfortably under the curious skeleton's gaze. How could she explain herself to him?

  
          "What if... you woke up one day on the surface, and you were all by yourself, with nobody." Papyrus' maw opened to respond, but Claire interjected. " _Without_ Sans, and you had no friends in this new world..."

  
          He considered this carefully, but then he shook his head, looking frustrated and confused. "But, you DO have friends here!" He looked up at her with a strained expression. "Sans likes you a lot, I can tell, and if my brother likes you, then I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, will be your friend, too. I-If you will let me be." The pleading in his eyes was too great, and Claire felt a warmth blossom in her chest. She'd always wanted friends- good ones- but right now, Papyrus seemed like the little brother that she never had.

  
          She had a nearly irresistible urge to leap forward and tackle him into a hug. However, she simply glanced toward him for the first time, watery-eyed and smiling. "W-would you?" She whispered. Her heart fluttered when his face lit up with pure, childish joy. She felt like she was taking a huge risk, as if she were doing the 'trust fall'. But the look on his face, and the following hug tackle, washed her unease away. He nuzzled her cheek for a moment. The cool bone felt nice, but then he backed away, looking nervous again.

  
          "Human, truth be told, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, don't really have very many friends. Of course there's Undyne, and my brother Sans will always be my very bestest friend, but I don't really-" Claire shushed him with a soft _hiss_ and a finger to his teeth.

  
          "It's okay, I know, I've been there." She petted his skull and then motioned to stand. He obliged, climbing off of the disheveled bed, letting her up. He blushed a faint red-orange. "Can I have just a minute alone to, er, collect myself, you know?" Papyrus nodded fervently, clasping his hands together, and practically skipped towards the door.

  
          "DON'T TAKE TOO LONG, HUMAN CLAIRE. YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND WILL BE PREPARING THE BESTEST BEST FRIENDS LUNCH YOU HAVE EVER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRY-" His screams of joy faded away as he strode downstairs. She clicked the door shut quietly behind him. Muffled and unintelligible, she heard Sans talking to Papyrus. _'So he's here, too.'_  The knowledge at once put her both at ease and unnerved her, if that were possible.

  
          She plopped onto the edge of the bed, stretching her arms above her head. Her legs soon followed suit, and she rotated her ankles, popping those, releasing some of her pent-up tension. Naturally, having done this a thousand times, she closed her eyes, and used her palms to crack her neck side-to-side. Her fingers followed, popping each knuckle, missing a few that just wouldn't give. She jumped up onto one foot then, twisting until her palms were flat on the edge of the bed, and she was bent over. Following her routine, she arched her back, attempting to pop it as well. She exhaled until her lungs were empty, arching until- _crack-ack-ack-ack_. Popping joints raced up her spine, and she breathed in sharply with a sigh of relief.

  
          "oh wow." She jumped so hard that she flash-stepped right past the ceiling and landed on the roof.

  
          "AAAA----AAAAaaaahhh!!" She flopped into the snow covering the skelebro's roof, clutching her chest. A shrill shriek of surprise and a deep, rumbling laughter could be heard from inside. "DAMMIT SANS!!" Claire screeched. It felt like her face was on fire. Her butt had literally been in the air and he had snuck up on her with one of his 'shortcuts'...

  
          Her heart skipped several beats. Was she...? _'Oh no. Oh nononononono...'_  She couldn't be. HE couldn't be. Was he?

 

          Her rambling mind was answered by Gaster's soft wheezing laughter. _'You two are adorable.'_

  
          Was she actually falling for Sans? She tried to rationalize herself out of the situation with a serious of fervent thoughts. "How?" She muttered under her breath. "First, dude, he's a skeleton, seriously." Her right brain remained unconvinced. "Okay but I just met him, there's no way I..." But her heart refused to hear it. "I can't. I just can't..." There was the honest answer, deep down, she knew she didn't deserve anything of the sort. Swords aren't for love, they are for war.

  
          How could she be making friends now? What if her pitiful attempts at normality backfired? She didn't want to hurt them, any of them. She had to stay reserved, it was her only chance at redemption. She'd protect them from herself (and Chara) and fulfill her promise. That was her purpose now, but it left her feeling empty inside. A dull ache formed in her chest, but she tried her best to fake a grin like Sans. _'That really doesn't suit you.'_  Gaster murmured.

  
        _'It'll have to do. Wait, you're just going to tell Sans what my problem is anyway, aren't you?'_  She huffed in frustration. A light, warped chuckle faded away in the back of her mind just as Papyrus stepped outside and shouted up at her from below.

  
          "HUMAN CLAIRE! HOW DID YOU GET ON OUR ROOF?" She wracked her brain for a moment before coming up with the obvious non-answer.

  
          "Um, I climbed?" She scooted over to the edge of the roof, dangling her legs from the side. She smiled down nervously at the curious looks from Papyrus. For all she knew, he already had presumed she was lying to him, and if he did, he didn't show it. Maybe he didn't care that she was playing dumb, maybe he was used to it with Sans? Or maybe he was actually just that naive? It was really hard to tell.

  
          "WOWIE! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?! _HOW_ DID YOU DO THAT?!" She tilted her head slightly, before pushing herself off of the roof. She landed neatly next to a stunned Papyrus. The look on his face was one of pure admiration, and she could only rub the back of her neck and look away in humility.

  
          "I mean, it's not hard, it's not that great. It's just a little parkour." She mumbled.

  
          "WHAT IS THIS 'PARKOUR'? YOU SIMPLY MUST TEACH ME! OH. OH! AND YOU COULD TEACH UNDYNE TOO! THIS IS PERFECT BEST FRIENDS MATERIAL!" He has this mischievous, planning look in his eye sockets, while squishing his cheeks between his hands. She could only stand frozen, and try not to let her horror show.

  
          "Uh, Pap, I don't think she likes me so maybe its not a good idea to-"

  
          "NONSENSE! IT WOULD BE THE BEST DAY OF TRAINING EVER! I WAS ACTUALLY ABOUT TO LEAVE FOR UNDYNE'S HOUSE VERY SOON. WE WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO COME AND TRAIN WITH US! WE COULD LEARN THIS NEW BATTLE TECHNIQUE OF YOURS AND---" Papyrus was rambling now, more to himself than to Claire. She, however, was more interested in the smug skeleton leaning in the doorway, twirling her sheath in the air with blue magic. She gave him her best death glare, which wasn't even really that good, but it was useless.

  
          A fluttering, glitching, translucent image of Dr. Gaster floated behind him. _'You didn't!'_  Gaster shrugged. She tried her best not to convey panic, lest she worry Papyrus. A blue blush crawled across Sans cheeks, and he looked away for a moment. Something about his expression seemed off. He was sweating, for starters, and breathing heavily, as if he had exerted some sort of effort. Then when he looked back at her, it was with a heated stare that churned at that same warmth in her stomach... Realization dawned slowly, and it was all she could do to force herself to focus on Papyrus.

  
          "--AND THEN WE CAN MAKE FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI AND IT WILL BE THE BEST DAY EVER!!!" He was beaming upwards, hands clasped together, and it reminded her of the human action of praying. _'If there is a god, please let Sans understand.'_  She thought vaguely to herself.

  
          "hey bro." Sans base voice called out. He seemed to have collected himself so that he could get his brother's attention without worrying him.

  
          "OH, HEY DEAR BROTHER."

  
          "catch." Claire watched in frozen terror as her sword sheath twirled through the air, and Papyrus reached out to catch it. As soon as it touched his hands, her chain choker turned a warm shade of orange. Papyrus seemed oblivious to this change, however. "tag, you're it Claire." Sans bony finger poked her in the shoulder. He looked down at her with an apologetic expression. She could almost hear him in her mind. _'i hope you understand, too.'_

  
          "NYEH-HEHEHEHEHEHEHEH!! TRY TO CATCH ME HUMAN CLAIRE! I BET YOU CANNOT!" There was the command, and now her legs were moving of their own accord, completely out of sync with the rest of her being. How could he betray her like that? She trusted him with that, with her sheath, her soul! And he just cast it aside like a stick, tossing it to his brother like a baton?

  
          She caught a glimpse of Sans as he shut his front door behind himself. His eye was aflame with bright blue. His clearly lusty expression caused her heart to stop for a moment that stretched a small eternity. _'There's no way. I can't believe it... How can I protect them from myself if.... If...'_

  
          "NYEH!! FASTER, HUMAN CLAIRE, YOU'RE NOT EVEN TRYING!" He prompted her to return to reality.

          Every muscle in her body was screaming from the magical effort of forcing her compliance, but as she took back over the magic calmed down. She waited for a step with stable purchase, a rock that jutted out of the snow, and used it to propel herself forward, practically flying over the snow. She spotted a well placed tree branch overhead, and jumped up to swing from it, using the momentum to carry herself over Pap's skull. She landed in front of the startled skeleton and poked him on his exposed spine. "Tag." She breathed gravelly, the harsh Snowdin air was rough on her burning lungs.

  
          "EXCELLENT WORK HUMAN CLAIRE! BUT WE STILL HAVE QUITE A WAY TO GO BEFORE WE REACH UNDYNE'S!" Her posture drooped at the thought. If Undyne wanted to attack her again, she wasn't even sure she had the determination to resist her. "Please do not worry, I think she will like you, she just needs a chance to know you. I MEAN LOOK AT ME, I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU AT ALL AND WE'RE ALREADY BEST FRIENDS!! NYEHEHEHEHEHEHE!!!" Even with all of her pent-up negativity, Claire still can't withhold a bubbling laughter. Papyrus looks down at her with a gentle smile, gesturing for her to follow.

  
        _'He trusts you, even when he has no idea what you are. He's always been rather interesting in that regard, don't you agree?'_  There's that tinkling, indescribable voice again; she sighed as she paced herself into a steady trot. A smooth cadence hummed past her lips; old habits die hard, she supposed.

  
_'I'm still mad at you.'_ She thought halfheartedly. She really wasn't angry, and Gaster knew it. She was just flabbergasted, and frustrated, and flustered all at once.

  
          _'He's in heat.'_  The voice chirps, matter-of-factly, like it's no big deal.

  
          Claire trips over an exposed tree root when her muscles involuntarily jerk at the new information. She lands face first in the snow, and makes absolutely zero attempt to get back up. Her face is burning so fiercely that the snow is already melting. Does that mean what she thinks it means? _'It means exactly what you think it means.'_  Of course it does, she whines mentally.

  
          Wait.

  
          That was his reason for casting her off onto his brother?

  
          She was so worried about protecting him, that she'd been oblivious to the truth. Obviously, she wasn't going to have guessed it on her own, but she could have been more observant, and less paranoid. _'He's protecting me from himself.'_  She mentally noted, bewildered.

  
          _'Enjoy your evening, my little experiment. I'm sure he will.'_  And with those words, she was flooded with the information that she was meant to spend the night at Undyne's house. She was to enjoy her time with Papyrus, tolerate Undyne, and she was not to leave until Sans came back for her. Those were commands... delayed, yet delivered, commands. Her chains flickered blue and orange for just a moment as the commands processed and became concrete.

  
          She laughed into the snow, and then into the air as Papyrus scooped her off of the ground. "HUMAN DO NOT WORRY ME LIKE THAT! I CALLED BACK FOR YOU BUT YOU WERE ON THE GROUND AND YOU WEREN'T MOVING AND YOU WEREN'T ANSWERING ME!! NYEHHHHHHHH..." His sorrowful cries brought her down from a temporary insanity. Orange streamers of tears were flowing from his sockets.

  
          "It's okay Pap, I was just, uhm, enjoying being so _cool_ for once." Immediately, Papyrus dropped her onto the ground, as if just realizing he had picked up something gross.

  
          "MY BROTHER IS RUBBING OFF ON YOU! PLEASE REFRAIN FROM FURTHER LAME JOKES, OR I WILL HAVE TO APPLY A SUITIBLE PUNISHMENT!" Then his eyes pop open with a playful panic as he realizes what he's done.

  
          "You mean..."  
          "CLAIRE--"  
          "...you're gonna..."  
          "DO NOT--"  
          "... _pun_ -ish me??"

  
          "NYEEEEEEEEHHHHHHH!!" The noogie that Papyrus proceeds to apply to her scalp is painful but she can't help but laugh through the whole thing. Somehow, something is holding back all the negativity that she would be feeling otherwise. It's like a barrier has been placed around the darkest reaches of her mind. She has a feeling that it won't last forever, and that she should enjoy it while it lasts. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she can almost feel Gaster nod his incorporeal head in agreement.

  
          "Okay, okay, I'm sorry! Owowowowow!" Paprus relents, petting her head as if that would instantly make the burn go away. Surprisingly, it does. A light orange glow, like thinly-steeped black tea fades from his hand as he pulls it away. "Oh, wow Paps. You can heal, too?" She whispers in amazement, and suddenly he's beaming with admiration again, nodding fervently. "Trade for parkour techniques?" She offers, and he clasps her hand in his own impatiently dragging her toward the opening that leads to Waterfall.

  
          "AS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SAID BEFORE, WE'RE TRAINING, AND THAT DOES NOT MEAN JUST UNDYNE AND MYSELF, THAT MEANS YOU AS WELL. WE'RE ALL GOING TO LEARN TOGETHER, BECAUSE LEARNING TOGETHER IS MORE FUN!" He's so giddy and excited and childlike, and his passionate emotions bled into her. She can forget the demons and the humans, she can forget war and struggle and pain, and she can forget Flowey and Chara, too, if only for now. Because now, she feels like a child with a teacher again, and that teacher just happens to be a magical skeleton who could have been a younger brother. It's all so ridiculous that she just laughs warmly as she's tugged along.

  
          As the pair walk through Waterfall, Claire points out all of the things she thinks are the coolest, and talks botany and biology with Papyrus. The skeleton notes that Sans would be more interested in all of that than he would, but he would admit that echo flowers are, in fact, the neatest plant. This was mainly because that they could echo back to him about how great he was.

  
          A faint voice is wavering with malice, and a thought brushes against the edges of her consciousness, but she's too numbed and happy to hear it. The thought tries to tell her all about how Papyrus would be crushed topside, and that everyone would hate him for his ego and his enthusiasm. Chara screams from within the barrier. It's a bestial ululation that rattles every single link in the chain cocoon.

  
          Gaster's dark voice echoes through the silence that follows.

  
        _'H o w t h e m i g h t y h a v e f a l l e n.'_  It's a dark pun that only few would understand. The screaming resumes, rage and power shaking the chains and rocking the foundation within the barrier. Gaster face forms a tight frown.

  
          He knows they don't have much time.

  
          Will the human be rested and prepared before Chara breaks free?

  
          The rattling of chains became deafening.


	15. Delirium Shift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Sans goes on a feels trip, business is accomplished, and some smut happens.  
> You've been warned!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Chapter 15.1 is bebe's first smut! It's not a lot but I hope you dirty heathens enjoy it anyways!  
> It's completely skip-able if anyone prefers not to read it though, there's no major plot in there.  
> *That's what I said.  
> DAMMIT SANS. SHHHHHHHH

**~15~ (Sans' POV)**  
  
          As soon as Sans laid down Claire to rest, he pinpointed Papyrus's soul and flickered close to his location to find him. Sure enough, the door to the Ruins was open. It was so strange, getting to see an entirely new section of Underground for the first time. His curiosity was set alight seeing the corridor beyond the doorway and he set off inside.

  
          The longer he walked down the dimly lit hall, the louder Pap's voice became. Soon, the words became understandable.

  
          "AS ALWAYS DEAR MAJESTY, YOUR PIES ARE FANTASTIC!" Papyrus slurred, obviously talking with his mouth full. The next voice he heard brought tears to his eyes immediately. He backed up against the cool stone for support.

  
          "Oh Papyrus, how many times must I tell you to not talk with your mouth full?" The feminine voice was soft but reprimanding. A muffled apology followed. "I do wish Sans would have come, but you did say he had important business, my child?" Sans stiffened, the ends of his digits digging into the stone walls behind him.

  
          He'd met her before, in this timeline. He was acutely aware now that he was missing an entire chunk of his memory, and he was a hundred percent sure that the Shift was to blame. That's what he had decided to call it, whatever it was that was forcing the remnants of the last timeline onto this one, a Shift.

  
          Sans clung to the wall there, trying his hardest to listen to the conversation, and to Papyrus. He was waiting for Papyrus, he reminded himself. Only, it was getting so, so difficult to keep paying attention. Claire's sleeping form is in _his_ house, on _his_ bed, and it'd be _so easy_ just to...

  
          Sans reeled back and punched himself across the jaw. How dare he even contemplate anything like that, especially after what he saw. He couldn't just...  
Oh, but it was _great_ to fantasize about. As long as he kept it a fantasy, what could it hurt...?

  
          Papyrus' booming voice echoed down the corridor and Sans flash stepped until he was outside the doorway into Snowdin territory. He was going to have to go back there with Papyrus, and then figure out what to do (and not to do) with the human. His fingers traveled to just inside of his slacks for a moment, brushing over the smooth surface of the throat of the sheath strapped to his hip bone. He retracted his hand quickly as he saw Papyrus round a corner down the hall and wave at him.

  
          "BROTHER!" He spoke as he approached. "DID YOU FINISH THAT 'BUSINESS' WITH ALPHYS?" Sans grinned uncomfortably.

  
          And suddenly, _light bulb_ , he knew what he had to do. "yeah, sure did, uh, take care of that thing. let's go home, 'kay?"

  
          "BROTHER WHERE-- where is she?" He was genuinely concerned enough that he lowered his voice. It unsettled even Sans to hear him get that way, he was so used to his brother's over-the-top volume.

  
          "oh, she's asleep at the house bro. she uh, wasn't feeling too hot, so i let her stay in my room."  _'oh but she's looking too hot...'_  He cringed internally.

  
          "Ugh, Sans, you could have let her stay in my room. It's cleaner." Sans visibly flinched at Pap's rebuke. Sans hadn't exactly been entirely lucid when he made that decision, either. He inhaled a sharp breath and prepared to explain himself.

  
          "bro, do you remember _'the talk'_." He emphasized which talk he meant with air quotes, and Papyrus cringed and blushed, clearly not comfortable with such things. "yeah, yeah, well... long story short, i need you to take a shift and keep a watch over her for a while. can you help me with that Pap?"

  
          Papyrus had this delighted, mischievous, and giddy look on his face, and it nearly frightened Sans in it's intensity.

  
          "SANS AND CLAIRE SITTING IN A TREE---"

  
          Sans twisted and jumped in order to clamp his body hands on Papyrus' skull and jaw, making it impossible for him to finish the sing-song. Pap was forced to bend over as Sans fell back to the ground with his skelebro's skull in his grip. "don't. for the love of all that is..." Sans sighed at his brother's apologetic expression, and let him go. "i just don't want to hurt her, okay? you remember how i was last time?" Papyrus nodded, but said nothing as the two continued to walk. 'Last time' was not a pleasant memory.

  
          It didn't take the pair long to reach Snowdin, smiling and waving at Kid and a few other monsters who were milling around outside. Sans waited until they were safe inside before continuing his conversation. He'd have to play this just right, without revealing too much to his brother, after all, he wasn't sure if Claire wanted him to know about the mechanics that connected her to the object knocking against his femur.

  
          "say, bro, don't you have training with Undyne soon?" He started off casually, sauntering into the fridge to grab a bottle of ketchup. He was well aware that he didn't need this intoxicating syrup right now, but damn did he want it.

  
          "WHY YES! DO YOU THINK CLAIRE WOULD WANT TO GO WITH ME?" He was whisper-shouting again, barely able to contain his enthusiasm.

  
          "she might need some convincing. she did try to kind of kill her, so i wouldn't blame her if she had her reservations." A tiny voice blossomed in the back of his head, distracting him, tempting him. _'oh i wouldn't try to kill her, i would wreck her world though, god i could just---'_

  
          The pupils evaporated from Sans eyes as he made his way past Papyrus in the kitchen and slumped into the couch. He gripped at the remote hard enough to crack the plastic, desperately pleading for the little voice in his head to just _shut up_ for a little bit longer. "h-hey bro. go see if she's awake okay. i'm gonna, sit right, h e r e ." He wished he could melt into the cushions at the disapproving look Pap shot him as he strode past. It's not like he could help it!

  
          _'old man...'_  
 _'Yes, my son?'_  
 _'I need you to c'mere.'_   Gaster materialized somewhat before him on the couch. Sans fiddled with the leather belt at his hip and withdrew the sheath. He held it out at arm's length to the Doctor. If his theories about this mechanism were correct, he should be able to convey this last command through another entity, and his old man was perfect for the job. Gaster laid an incorporeal hand on the other end of the sheath while Sans conveyed his message of commands. _'She's to stay there, for the night, alright?'_   He felt so relieved, as he finished this most important part of his plan. 

  
        _'It will be delivered.'_   Sans released a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, and slipped the sheath back.

  
          Papyrus came back downstairs squealing about being best friends with Claire. "so is she..." He gulped on a swig of ketchup. "...coming down soon? to leave? with you?"

  
          The strained look on Papyrus' face told him all he needed to know. "I KIND OF GOT SO EXCITED THAT I FORGOT TO ASK...?" Papyrus shrugged and went to work on something in the kitchen. Sans looked up toward his door. The few moments he waited seemed like an eternity.

 

_'Screw this I'm going in there, gotta get her out of here before--'_

  
          "oh wow." A moment later, he heard her land on the roof. It was a good thing that she flash-stepped right out of the house, too. If she had turned around to face him, she may not have liked what she saw.

  
          Sans had backed against his own wall and slid down onto the floor, laughing deeply and muttering _'oh wow'_   repeatedly. He pushed uncomfortably against the sudden bulge in his slacks. His eye, and a certain other part of him that had materialized unbidden, both glowed blue as he struggled to maintain his composure. He had come so close to losing his restraint right then and there. Seeing her bent over his bed like that, not to mention the cracking of her spine... it was just too much. It send shivers of pleasure throughout his bones.

  
          ...And the little voice in his head was having a blast, and getting louder.

  
          With what little discretion he had remaining, he followed Papyrus' voice downstairs, all the while fiddling with undoing the belt around his hip. His hands shook, frustrating him. Finally, he slung the strip of leather across the living room, and clutched the sheath in his hand with purpose. He'd have to get her out of here, now, or he'd completely lose it.

  
          He gathered all of the composure that he could scrape off of the floor and stood in the frame of the front door. "hey bro, catch." Seeing the horror in Claire's eyes would have almost broken his non-existent heart... _'ungh i can see her tongue...'_

  
          He shook himself from his delirium once more to flash-step next to her, poke her in the shoulder, and give him his best, _'i'm sorry'_   look. "tag, you're it Claire." He walked back to the front door with the remainder of his willpower. He turned to shut the front door behind him as he began to fall apart, but not before he could cast her a look of sheer _need_.

  
          At the last moment, before she exited his range of vision, there was panic in her eyes, but there was also something more. It was in the way she clutched at her stomach slightly without thinking, in the curl of a smile that betrayed hope, in the shimmer of her eyes that threatened to tear up.

  
          _'She's holding herself back from you, my son. It's adorable.'_

  
          In that particular moment, as he became a sweating, needy wreck behind his front door, he couldn't understand why she would do that.

  
          _'She wants to protect you two.'_

  
          He could only chuckle in relief at that; it was a shaky, husky laughter. "go on, get outta here. gotta go... take care of _business.._."

  
  _'Of course.'_   Gaster snickered as he reentered the void, leaving Sans alone.

  
          Blissfully alone.

  
          It wasn't but a fraction of a second later that he locked himself in his room.

 

 

          .........

 

 

          ......

 

 

          ...

  
**~15.1~ (skippable smut! last warning!!)**  
  
          Logically, he understood exactly why she would think that she had to withdraw herself from becoming attached to him and his brother. To someone who had been hurt like that, it would seem like the only solution. Unfortunately, it was also the beginning of a dark path, a sequence of events and conclusions that can create someone like Chara. Ultimately, it was probably Chara who was poisoning her mind with all of that garbage in the first place. That's why he sent Gaster after her, so that maybe the Doctor could slow the process down. She just needed time to heal, that's all.

  
          ...And being anywhere near him right now would have been a deterrent to her healing process. Technically, his magic could do a _whole lot_ to help her heal, at least, physically... but her wounds were deeper than that.

  
          So, he'd have to settle for fantasizing.

  
          He crawled into his messy bed, face down, inhaling her lingering scent, clutching at the blankets. _'ughn, kiddo, why do you smell so good...?'_   He was finally able to lose himself in his heat, squirming against the bed with his sockets closed. His imagination carried him away, and there he was, on top of her limp form. She was begging for him, the sound causing him to shake in anticipation.

  
          _'Sans...?'_   She questioned, pleaded.

  
          He groped at her with his phalanges, barely able to imagine the soft feeling of her flesh against his bones. _'she's got to be so fucking soft...'_   He moaned to himself. He had just enough knowledge to imagine what was hiding underneath her clothing. (He did have an extensive research folder on humans, after all.) He bucked against her in his vision, dragging his heat over her core. Even through their clothing, the sensation was intense. His glowing tongue dragged across the pillow that he had provided for her, leaving a trail of dimly lit saliva in its wake. He chomped down where her scent was strongest, and imagined himself biting into her neck, marking his territory. In his mind, she gasped at the pain, but melted into him, needing more. He stayed that way until he couldn't take it any longer, he wasn't going to be able to settle for just grinding and biting.

  
          He flipped over in his bed, and took his glow in his hand. In his vision, he'd stripped her and placed himself below her. She squirmed in his grip, a heated want flushing over her face. _'Please...'_   It was all he could imagine her to say, was to beg for him. In his nihilism, he nearly dissolved the fantasy, thinking for a moment that this was just too ridiculous...

  
_'fuck i need you.'_  His heat called him back to it. He was going to get no where if he didn't deal with this right now. He imagined her dropping onto him as he stroked himself, squirming and writhing. He was able to imagine her making little moaning noises of pleasure, and it sent his vision into a blazing blue-white...

  
          His first release was explosive, as most of his pent-up need released at once, sending wave after crashing wave through his bones. But since this was his heat, he wasn't going to be able to stop at once. In his vision, he flipped to his knees, pretending to buck into her core from the rear until he reached his peak again. Next, she was pinned up against his wall, and then at some point, he ended up on the floor. He was a blue-white blur across his room, switching positions as his need dictated. His grunting and moaning echoed through the entire house, and he dimly recognized that he was glad his brother wouldn't be able to hear him like this.

  
          Soon, he melted into a panting mess on the bed. "oh wow." He groaned to himself. All he could think about at that moment, was that if his fantasy was that good, how good could she be in reality? _'maybe one day, i can hope right? that's not selfish, i think...'_

  
          He discarded his soiled slacks into his laundry pile and plopped into a chair in front of his computer, booting the device with a snap of his fingers. He was already tired, but his heat was rising yet again, and he knew instinctively that this episode was going to take a while yet to sate.

  
          Thankfully, he had bought some time. He sighed, settling into a slump and clicking a series of links out of habit. Soft moans crept from his speakers.

  
          He was going to need all the time he could get. A monster's heat takes longer to get through if they're alone.

 

 


	16. Round Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Undyne has no faith, Papyrus has all the faith, and the day only gets more and more awkward.  
> Seriously, if this gets any more awkward...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to straight up apologize for the long wait with a long chapter! I have a lot of things going on in life that are slowing this down for me and it sucks! I'm really enjoying writing this for anyone who cares to read it and I feel like I'm letting you guys down when it takes me too long to get a chapter on here. I'm trying my best guys! Enjoy~~!

**~16~**

  
          Once more, Claire stood before the fish-dome that was Undyne's home. Even though all of her intensely negative emotions were being blocked by Gaster's void barrier, she still felt dread creeping over her. Goosebumps pricked up across her arms, and she shivered. Papyrus had stepped ahead, but turned once he noticed she had stopped. He raised a quizzical eyebrow. "You go on ahead. I'll wait out here for now, okay?" He cracked his maw to say something, but instead snapped it shut, and instead, he shot her an award-winning grin and a thumbs-up.

  
          Undyne answered the door almost immediately, she had this broad, genuine smile of joy when she saw Papyrus. They talked for a few moments, and then her smile, fins, and pumped fists all drooped at once. She tilted to look around him to look at her. A scowl formed, and Claire shoved her hands in her pockets and looked away, a little hurt. _'Fuck if I'm going to have to do this she can at least give me a chance--!'_

  
          She was so fixated on kicking a rock that she didn't hear Undyne stride over until it was too late. Her whispers were low and harsh. "So you think you can come back here and rub it in my face, punk. _'Best friends'_?" She spat, obviously offended, towering over Claire, forcing her to lean backwards to prevent their noses from touching. "There's nobody out there who can be a better best friend to Papyrus than me, you got that punk?!" Undyne stood stock still waiting for Claire to make a move. In fact, she almost seemed like she was hoping for her to throw a punch. Claire glanced downward, and sure enough, Undyne was balanced on her toes in such a way as to allow for a quick counter attack.

  
          "I don't have to deal with this shit..." She squinted up at the warrior, poking her gently backwards with a finger, which oddly, Undyne allowed. But as soon as Claire took two paced away, something grabbed her by the chain, pulling it back against her windpipe. "HRRK!!" The chain flickered blue and orange. She flipped around, expecting Undyne to be the one yanking on it, but she was just standing there watching, observing. Claire tried once more to step forward, but it was no use.

  
      _'Don't forget lovely, you're still under command.'_  The doctor chimed.

  
        _'Great.'_  Claire turned back to Undyne with a nervous twitch of her eye. Arms crossed and biceps flexed, the fish-woman was tapping the stone floor with the toe of her boot impatiently.

  
          "What are you waiting for, shrimp? Go on, leave." Undyne cocked her head to the side, aware that something wasn't quite right. An awkward pause followed. Without warning, Claire's demeanor shifted, as if she had changed her mind. Her eyes squinted and she mocked a confidence that she was far from feeling at the moment. She sauntered over to Undyne and poked at her chest again, this time stiffly, as if to drive some point across. What it was, she had no idea. She just knew that she couldn't leave unless someone ordered her to, and even then, she wasn't sure which order would win if the two clashed. Code of soul contract could be a weird, and sometimes unpredictable, force.

  
          "You know what? No. I'm here with the great Papyrus and I shall stay here, like it or not. If you can tell Pap to take me back home, then so be it, if not, then you'll just have to deal with me."

  
          "Oh. Okay." Undyne feigned nonchalance for a moment, shrugging, but quickly lifted Claire up by the jacket again. "I see what you're doing, you know. You beat me before, so now you're here to rub it in and prove to me that you can be a better best friend than me." Undyne squinted up at Claire, who had shrunk into her jacket due to gravity.

  
          "Wh-what?" She was barely suppressing a giggle. "Undyne, I didn't beat you, you nearly killed me. I wasn't going to fight back, remember?"

  
          "FUCK YEAH I REMEMBER AND IT PISSES ME OFF!"

  
          "UNDYNE I HAVE EVERYTHING SET UP FOR TRAIN...ING..." Papyrus jogged over, his gleeful expression turning sour. "UNDYNE PLEASE PUT THE HUMAN DOWN."

  
          Claire dropped to the stone floor with a painful thud, and made no move to get back up or say anything. She merely whirled around on her sore tailbone and crossed her arms and legs with a snort. _'Crazy fucking fish lady...'_

  
          "I THOUGHT WE DISCUSSED THIS. UNDYNE SHE'S OKAY, REALLY. EVERYONE DESERVES A CHANCE AND SHE'S REALLY NICE ONCE YOU GET TO KNOW--"

  
          Undyne slumped more and more with each syllable. She hated seeing Papyrus like this. She blamed Claire, of course.

  
          "Papy c'mon..."

  
          "DON'T PAPY ME."

  
          "....... You really think...?"

  
          "I KNOW." An exasperated sigh escaped from Undyne. Defeated, she was shoo-ed over to Claire who looked up, but remained still.

  
          "......Eh?" It seemed to be all the woman could manage as she extended a hand to help Claire up. Claire huffed, hesitated, but took it willingly. Undyne's grip was stupid strong, threatening to crush her fingers. Claire returned one in kind.

  
          "Eh." Claire affirmed. As long as the crazy fish-lady wasn't trying to slice her in half, she'd make it through this strange training session. She hoped.

  
          "GREAT!" Papyrus beamed, picking up the pair by the scruffs of their clothing and packing them back toward the house. "NOW WE CAN PROCEED WITH OUR BEST FRIENDS BATTLE TRAINING!!" He plopped them down behind the house, in an open space before some sort of training arena. The space seemed like it was designed for snowball fights or paintball. The terrain seemed to be carved right out of the rock in most places, and in others huge boulders were placed as barriers. Weapons and spears were scattered about in various places, left from previous sessions. Also spaced around were different kinds of obstacles such as hurdles, rope ladders, monkey bars, pillars for balancing, and just about anything one could imagine. Around the entire perimeter circled a beaten path, meant for running laps. Claire looked over the setup in mild awe. Undyne took notice and smirked proudly.

  
          "You ready, shrimp?" Why did everyone insist on reminding you that you were _short!_

  
          "Ready when you are, ya _blowfish_." Undyne flipped at the comment, and stomped off onto the field to beat a boulder into gravel, literally.

  
          Claire sidled up to Papyrus. "Pap are you sure...?"

  
          "ABSOLUTELY! Just wait." He lowered his voice, again, sending chills across the back of her neck. "Oh, I nearly forgot, do you want this back?" He was offering her the sheath back, but she couldn't take it, not without risking losing control again...

  
          "I need you to hang onto it Pap, okay? I can't--"

  
          "Hey Papyrus whatcha got there?" _'Oh no nononononono~'_

  
          Undyne sauntered back up, sweating and covered in a fine dust from punching the stone. Papyrus turned to show it to her, and without asking she reached over to grab it. "Sweet! It's some kind of scabbard for a sword! What'd you do with the blade Papy?" Papyrus emanated a nervous _'Nyeeehhhh...'_   He was unsure of what to say or do.

  
          As soon as Undyne laid a webbed hand on the sheath, Claire's choker flickered with three colors. Warm orange, ice blue, and now a cool teal all flickered in rapid succession before settling on the teal hue. Undyne obviously noticed, who wouldn't notice a light show like that? Claire groaned and looked away, crossing her arms. _'Wait for it, here it comes...'_

   
          It was Papyrus who spoke up first. "WHY IS YOUR NECKLACE CHANGING COLORS LIKE THAT?"

  
          "You bonehead, that's a choker. And why are they the colors of our magic? What are you doing?! Are you pulling a fast one? Because if you are...!" She raised the hand she had placed on the sheath into a fist, and the color shifted back to orange again. Undyne stepped toward Claire threateningly, but this time Claire was prepared.

  
          "It's a contract." Undyne stopped, unsure of what to make of that. "Are you going to force me to explain all of this _right now?_   Because, I'd really rather just let off some steam first." Undyne blinked blankly, seemingly curious, but it was soon replaced with a scowl.

  
          "I do expect an explanation." She clarified before stomping off to the monkey bars.

  
          "UNDYNE....!" Papyrus seemed somewhat crestfallen.

  
          Claire reached out to him, before he could chase after his friend, and snagged his hand. He looked back, confused. "I need you to complete the contract. When you picked this up, you opened a contract with my soul. Follow me here, Pap." He was shaking his head looking as if he didn't understand, but stopped and thought hard about what had been said. His eyes flickered over Claire's choker, and he nodded, signalling for her to continue. "The contract isn't complete until our aura's create a bond." He shook his head at "aura", brows furrowed. It was a human word that he'd never heard before, it seemed. "Magic, I mean. We have to trade power, with this." She pointed to the sheath. Papyrus had begun to blush severely, but she wasn't sure why. "What's---"

  
          "BUT ISN'T THAT... HOW... BABIES.... NYEHHHHHHHHHH!" He was beginning to cook; he was so red in the face.

  
          "Pap no, I don't know what you're talking about but no, I assure you there's no.... babies? All this does is create a bond for battle. It allows you, the _'wielder'_   to use my power, without having to openly say so, and it allows for me a greater freedom of use of my own power, too. It's a bond of trust. Does that make any sense?"

_'It also means you'll be safer...'_ She thought to herself.

  
          Papyrus seemed to spring back to life at the notion of a trust bond. "OF COURSE THAT MAKES SENSE! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO IN THE FIRST PLACE!?" He was beginning to sweat furiously. Claire decided she'd have to learn more about monster biology to understand why he got so upset over sharing magic.

  
          "Now, usually, with humans, they'd cut their hand and bleed into there." She motioned towards the throat of the sheath. "But with this, you're using magic, not blood, obviously. Use two hands, here, 'n here." She nudged him to where he was holding it out in front of him sideways, left hand gripping the bindings and right palm over the throat. Claire reached out and placed her hand between his two. Papyrus' left eye flickered orange, reacting to the magic at work. The sheath came to life, feeding off of his orange magic, and offering some of her dark aura in exchange. His color never changed, but a thread of darkness coiled around his soul protectively.

  
          "Now see that wasn't so bad--" Papyrus stood stock still at first. Tiny _'nyehs'_ gurgled from his maw. He was laughing.

  
          "H-HUMAN C-C-CLAIRE! IT'S TICKL-L-LING ME! NYEH-HEHHEHEH!!"

  
          "Oh, then maybe a form change? Erm, hang on." Slowly, the thread uncoiled, slicking over the surface of his soul, and mimicked the shape of his soul, as a tiny upside-down heart. The magic stuck itself to the outside of his soul like a black sticker. "How's tha--"

  
          A blushing, sweating, hot mess that was Papyrus was already half-way around the race track by the time Claire had finished. Undyne was looking back and forth between the two, and Claire simply shrugged, shaking her head.

  
        _'You're getting an education in everything monster-related. I will see to it, just so I can see your expression when you realize what you've just done. It will be completely worth the extended effort.'_   Gaster teased, and Claire just slung her arms back to her sides, exasperated.

  
          _'Whatever, old man.'_  She stepped back, putting her weight into her toes, and slung herself into the terrain ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thisissorushedletmeknowifeverythingsokirereadllike15timesandimsotiredahhhhhh~~~  
> DX


	17. Story Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Pap does a parkour, Undyne is a huge dork, and story time begins...

**~17~**  
  
          Having this extended freedom once more, was almost like holding her key herself. A few times, her body and soul were tugged upon unconsciously as Papyrus watched her climb, flip, and leap around the different parts of the course. She felt compelled to pose heroically on several high points, and knew instinctively that it was Papyrus mentally asking for it. She didn't mind, however.

  
          She climbed halfway up an oblong boulder, digging partially formed claws into the rough surface. Once high enough, she leaned half of her body away and used power to wallkick to the highest balance pole, posing. She fell and bent backwards lining her palm up with the next pole and flipped end to end down a few of the poles, before leaping into a nearby rope net meant for hang-climbing. She flopped into the weave, laughing as she bounced out of it and stumbling back onto her feet in front of a stunned Undyne.

  
          "What's so funny, punk?" She planted her hands on her hips.

  
          "Papyrus' face, from way o-over t-there, hahahaha!" Papyrus was already starting to try to climb a rock, at first he had no purchase because his gloved phalanges were so smooth. But then he stepped back, left eye aglow with orange. Bones materialized out of thin air, but these were sharpened on one end. He plunged them into the rock surface to create platforms that he could climb on. Her own power guided his, acting like reins to hold back his raw power so that he didn't split the boulder in half. Claire could feel it's operation, even if she wasn't in direct control of it, and was staring in awe. She knew the tiny bit of power she'd traded with him was struggling. She'd never had a wielder who could use magic, obviously, and was surprised that the contract could influence his magic, too. Undyne practically had to drag Claire over there, but it was worth it to see that bonehead posing on top of his own rock as if he conquered the world.

  
          "UNDYNE! H-HUMAN CLAIRE! I DID IT! I DID THE PARKOUR!" If he could beam any brighter he'd look like a lighthouse.

  
          "Wow, Pap. You're so strong...!" She knew Sans was strong, but she hadn't experienced his full power, she knew that now. He knew how to utilize his skills so that he didn't have to use his full potential. Papyrus, on the other hand, seemed to lack a dimmer switch on that front. So if Papyrus had that much raw strength...

  
          "You think that's impressive? Watch the master work." Undyne cracked her knuckles. She seemed to be just itching for a way to show off now. She summoned a huge electric blue-green spear, plunged it into the floor between her boots, and hung back on the staff until it flung forward, flinging her into the course...

  
          She was going too far too fast. She sailed across the race track and--- **_BLAAAM!!_**

  
          A near perfect Undyne-shaped hole had formed in the back of her house. Papyrus _N_ _YEEEEEEH'd_   a sound of panic and scooped up Claire off of the ground, again, in bridal style. He was running straight for the hole in the house, intending to run right through it. At the last second, Claire wrapped them both in a thin sheet of dark armor that shattered on impact. They busted through the wall, opening it up even further. The hole had opened up somewhere between a fridge on the left and the stove on the right. Undyne was a little scratched up, but was otherwise unbothered, and was busy boiling some tea at her stove. The hole had opened up somewhere between a fridge on the left and the stove on the right.

  
          "UNDYNE DO NOT SCARE ME LIKE THAT I WAS SURE THAT YOU WERE HURT AND I CAME RIGHT WAY TO HEAL YOU ARE YOU OKAY DO YOU HAVE ANY WOUNDS CAN I HEAL THAT SCRATCH ON YOUR ARM OH NOOOO YOU GOT A SCRATCH---!!!" Undyne clamped Papyrus' rambling maw shut with two hands, and was rewarded with a muffled whine. Papyrus took the chance to use healing energy to work on a nasty looking gouge on Undyne's arm. She let him do this as long as she kept his mouth shut for him. When Papyrus was done, Undyne went back to fixing her tea. Something unspoken must have gone between the two, because Papyrus led Claire to a seat at Undyne's table. He took the seat to her right. Undyne arranged her table wordlessly, setting drinks down for each of them. After all was set, she plopped into a chair on Claire's left.

  
          "It's time for a break anyway, right?" Papyrus immediately agreed, but then the warrior looked to Claire. Undyne had this sad smile plastered across her face, as if she were remembering good times.

  
          "I suppose." The human offered. Claire wasn't looking forward to story-time. This was going to change everything; how everyone looked at her. It was bad enough when these guys thought she was just human. How much worse could it get if they knew that she was a human weapon? A demon created for the sole purpose of wreaking destruction down upon other humans?

  
          _'Did you not give that up? You chose not to walk that path.'_   Sans' old man chimed into her thoughts.

  
          _'But that's still what I was born for...'_   Claire wove her fingers together on top of the table, lost in thought.

  
        _'Do you know what Papyrus was originally created for?'_

  
          Claire had to restrain a small gasp. _'Created??'_

  
        _'He, and his brother, were intended to be weapons against humans.'_

  
          Gaster's presence left her with that information, and it rocked Claire to her core, leaving her confused, shaking, and pale.

  
          "CLAIRE?" Papyrus laid a gloved hand gently on her arm in an attempt to comfort her. She looked up at him, realizing that this was the first time that he didn't prefix her name with "human". "DON'T BE AFRAID TO TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF. WE PROMISE WE WILL NOT JUDGE YOU FOR WHERE YOU CAME FROM. SUCH BEHAVIOUR IS NOT FITTING FOR SOMEONE AS GREAT AS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AND UNDYNE IS EVEN GREATER THAN I! SO OBVIOUSLY I CAN PROMISE SHE WON'T JUDGE YOU EITHER! RIGHT UNDYNE?" Papyrus looked across the table to Undyne with half-lidded eyes.

  
          "Er, I mean, Yeah of course, no judging." Undyne's fins drooped, and she gave that sad half-smile again. It wasn't as fake as Sans' smiles, but it was still anything but happy.

  
          A few awkward moments slipped by as Claire tried to figure out where to start. She started to speak a couple of times, but couldn't make the words form. She spat a frustrated sigh.

  
          "Where do I even...?" She threw her palm up in the air and lightly smacked the table. "So yeah, I'm human, but I'm also not human. That's a good start right?" Papyrus clapped softly, appearing both delighted and confused.

  
          "THAT IS A MAGNIFICENT START. I FIND THAT STARTING TO TALK ABOUT THINGS IS OFTEN THE MOST DIFFICULT PART. BUT NOW I'M CURIOUS, HOW CAN YOU BOTH BE HUMAN AND NOT HUMAN?" His head tilted adorably, and Claire found a light flush of embarrassment cross her cheeks. _'This is so stupid...'_

  
          _'You're stupid. Stupidstupidstupi--'_   But nobody heard.

  
          "I'm... an experiment. The humans made me. They were doing research into what they called 'eldritch magic'. It's the kind of magic that humans used to use a long time ago."

  
          "You mean sorcery? The human magic that made the barrier?"

  
          "Yeah I think so, this is all stuff from before I was born okay, so bear with me. Anyway, so when they were screwing around with physics and doing whatever it is they were doing, they came across a peice of a soul that wasn't human. They didn't know what it was, so they called it a 'demon shard'. They just knew it wasn't a whole soul. They found a way to contain it, like a specimen, but they didn't know what to do with it, and they didn't have enough funding to build the new machinery they'd need to start testing it.  
So, they went to the military. Now the military doesn't care about science or progress and all of that junk, all they care about is being the biggest and baddest fighting force. Humans have a lot of war between countries, they disagree on the stupidest of subjects. So the military was like: 'We'll fund you, but only if you agree to make us a magic weapon.'

  
          "So, of course, that's what they agreed to, because the scientists couldn't just let this opportunity slip by them. So they built this fancy machinery and tested the shard and learned about its properties and blah blah blah... but it wasn't enough. They paid a woman to carry a baby, you know, in the womb?"

  
          At this, Claire received the blankest stares possible.

  
          "Do NOT make me explain human reproduction to you two."

  
          "OF COURSE I KNEW WHAT YOU MEANT, I MEAN YOU OBVIOUSLY MEANT THAT... NYEHHHHHH..." Papyrus had turned a light shade of orange, obviously a little freaked out by the notion of being explained how human baby-making mehanics works. Undyne, however, had turned a little green.

  
          "G-go on, so she had a baby..."

  
          "So they paid her to grow a baby... erm... in a pouch in her belly, yeah let's go with that. That's _totally_ correct. And that baby was me, yeah.

  
          "Right after I was born, they injected the shard into my soul. My surrogate mother died due to complications from delivery, and the scientists had to take care of me while I was little."

  
          They were freaking out and whispering to each other.

  
          "Guys." Still freaking out.

  
          "GUYS." They immediately became silent and looked over to Claire. "Okay, okay, I get it. Question time, right?" This was always the part that received the most questions.

  
          "HOW DID YOU GET OUT OF THE BELLY POUCH?"  
          "Did you absorb a monster soul?!"  
          "WHAT'S A SURROGATE?"  
          "Is that why you can do magic!?!"  
          "WHAT WAS BEING DELIVERED???"

  
          Claire flung her hands up into the air, palms wide. "Silence!!" And so there was. "Papyrus, I am NOT explaining how babies work, you need to ask Sans that. Undyne, yes I did, and yes it is. Satisfied?"

  
          They seemed less than satisfied, but were eager to hear more. Undyne had this light glow in her eyes, looking at Claire as if she were some kind of awesome badass. Papyrus seemed to look on with concern and curiosity. They both made her nervous, but she'd already explained so much. Claire downed her tea, it was nice, but she really wished she were at Grillby's. Alcohol would make this so much easier.

  
          "Undyne, do you have anything, erm, bubbly to drink?" A suggestive smirk flashed across her blue face and she laughed heartily. Without replying, she stepped over to her cabinets, pulled out a bottled drink, and slid it across the table to Claire.

  
          It was grape soda. Claire blinked at it, but smiled. "Heh, thanks."

  
          "Nerd." It was Undyne's way of saying _'you're welcome',_ if the shit-eating grin told her anything.

  
          "PLEASE DO CONTINUE WHEN YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE!" Papyrus boomed. Claire nodded, cracking the cap off of the drink and taking a swig. It might of been the magic in the drink, but even though it didn't taste of alcohol, it still _felt_ strong.

  
          "Okay, okay... So at this point... I'm just a normal baby..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flashbacks, ahoy!! Prepare thineselves!!  
> You can also scream at me on tumblr now! >>> missyleyneous.tumblr.com


	18. First Knight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Claire's telling a story, and a flashback happens, thanks Gaster!  
> Because he was there, sort of? See notes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New: Hey guys, I'm out of theme song tags! You know those /watch I've been using? Well, I need help with that! If you know of a song, UT related or not, that you think fits a certain chapter let me know! ~huggles~

**~18~**  
  
          Claire thought back to her childhood. Her earliest memories were from the laboratory in which she was born. She didn't know anything about her missing parents, and she didn't question her origins. Back then, everything was as it should be. She had friends and caregivers. She was well taken care of, given a basic education, and allowed to do what children do. She was, to some muted disappointment, normal. At least, until she reached a certain age.

  
          But first, Claire had to explain why she was so lucky to be alive in the first place. The demon shard nearly killed her. Apparently, human babies aren't large enough hosts for even a small piece of a monster soul. Her tiny body couldn't handle the large amount of soul power. They had to separate a large portion of her collective soul power and contain it. While it was contained, she was in a deep sleep, sort of like a coma. They kept her alive with feeding tubes and intravenous liquids for a time, while they searched frantically for a solution.

  
          An incredibly intelligent General, whom Claire knew as Archer, came forward with a custom-made solution. He had been to a meeting where the scientists were discussing with the military their issues. They wanted to force the soul half to bind with an object, preferably a weapon of course, but they couldn't make it bond. The soul could harbor an object, and then leave it at free will. Archer came up with an incredibly expensive, yet effective solution...

 

* * *

 

  
  
          Archer stood before an array of weaponry, that even the most calm and collected of arms enthusiast might drool over. Guns, shields, rifles, swords, bows and quivers, maces, hammers, axes, machetes, blades of all kinds, blunt weapons of every variety, and every projectile weapon that he could get his funding on. All of this, in a very special room, with a very special barrier. Souls could come in, but they couldn't go out. Seeing as this was Archer's idea from the start, and his signature on the funding, he thought it best that he go in alone.

  
          Of course, he wasn't alone. He could feel the charcoal-colored-entity observing him from it's container, pressing against the glass barrier. Empathy was not an ideal trait for someone in his profession, but it had it's uses. He stepped into the center of the room, gave a curt professional bow to the soul-in-a-jar centered on a table, and sat in a plastic chair.

  
          "I'm sure you're aware that your better half, so to speak, is asleep and cannot wake up?" Archer began, and the soul bobbed quickly. A definite yes, and a confirmation of cognition. He was sure of it. "Okay, how about we decide on one beat for no, and two for yes?" Two bobs, fantastic.

  
          "I'm going to open this container, but you won't be able to leave the room. You also won't fade away because of it. We're going to let you pick from any of these objects in the room--" One bob, it's declining.

  
          "We cannot sustain the infant forever." The soul sways, as if in thought. "If you choose an object, we can use eldritch magic to forge a contract between the girl, yourself, and whomever holds the object. You, of course, will have a great influence as to how this contract will operate." Two bobs, agreement.

  
          "The contract will allow the wielder to command the weapon, essentially turning them into a team, just as a knight is a team with his blade. He must take care of it, keep it properly sharpened, and protect it from the elements." The soul shivers, it doesn't like the analogy, but bobs twice anyway.

  
          "I know, I'm not fond of this idea either, I'll admit that much. Even if it was my idea, no one else had anything better. This is truly the best we can do for her now." The soul shimmered, agitated, and beat against the glass, as if to strike at him. "Calm now, I know. We could have decided not to go through with the injection stage, I'm aware of this. But how could we have known that it would turn out like this? This was far from our expectations." He truly meant every word of it, and he hoped the soul believed him.

  
          Archer turned a mournful gaze toward a room lovingly known as the nursery. It was really just a room with a sterilized baby bed in a plastic box, where the infant lie in the dim light, breathing feebly and mewling. It was visible through the thick glass walls of the barrier. The wayward soul always became agitated when it couldn't _'see'_   the baby.  
Archer breathed a deep sigh. This next part wasn't going to go well, he was sure of it. The soul was defiant, resolved to it's independence, and was sure to do everything but cooperate with this decision. Nevertheless, he had no choice. He flipped the seal on the jar, and opened it cautiously. The soul hovered out and floated above the jar for a moment, turning as if looking around. It then bolted across the room and stopped just before the glass facing the nursery. A soft plop echoed across the room. The soul fell against the glass, obviously wanting to be with the child. The vibe was quite parental.

  
          "I need you to decide on a weapon." Archer was blunt as he stood, ready to get going. He'd already taken on an agile defensive stance when the first possessed object flew across the room. A spiked mace flew past him and into the wall behind him, bending the barrel of a perfectly good rifle.

  
          "C'mon now, don't be like this. We can make this work--!" A longbow tried to settle over his neck to choke him, but he easily cut the string with a knife from his belt. There were no arrows in it's quiver to use anyway. The soul took up a semi-automatic and directed the barrel towards him. The weapon was quivering, perhaps in anger? Or frustration?

  
          "None of them are loaded, you know." Archer spoke softly, but it did nothing to prevent the soul from whipping the weapon butt over barrel to try to knock him out. The room became chaotic, blades and blunt weapons darted left and right, and Archer became more and more tattered by the moment. The speed with which the soul was bouncing around was incredible. It was if he was being assaulted by five armed men at once! His once handsome uniform had been shredded, and he was shallowly wounded in several places. One of his men beat on the glass, trying to request permission to enter and extract him, but Archer angrily waved the man back.

  
          Suddenly, the clangor halted. The soul hovered above a table in the back, relatively, untouched by the chaos. It's color flickered from charcoal gray to a dark purple. The color changed back and forth in intervals. When the soul was dark, it seemed as if it struggled in place, agitated as before; but when the dark purple color took over, it seemed to calm down and become unphased, almost analytical. The two seemed as if they were fighting for control of the soul, or perhaps just arguing. It was very difficult to tell. Archer stepped forward lightly over the debris, not wanting to spook it back into attacking him.

  
          "Well this is different..." Archer whispered to himself, and the purple soul seemed to hear him.

  
_'It's ru-e to s-eak abou- so-eo-e who'- lis-ening.'_   A chiming, broken voice echoed in his head, the sound harsh to the mind. Archer's eyes bolted open with alarm. _'N-w, le-'s c-eate thi- cont-act sh-ll we? 'T-is su-ject of you-s, will -e qui-e inte-es-ing, -on't yo- t-ink?'_   The voice was slowly giving Archer a migraine, the static was nearly unbearable.

  
          "Do you have a particular choice in mind?" Archer's gruff voice cracked. The pressure in his skull had become intense.

  
          The voice didn't speak again, but the soul hovered slowly over the table of choices. The argumentative flickering started back up again. The soul seemed torn between two particular types of blades. The table was full of odd choices, but these two seemed the most strange: a scythe and a kukri. Both of these weapons were also creative blades, meant to harvest grain or chop through forest. However, both of them were intensely deadly. A well honed scythe could slash off entire limbs, without magic, and a sharp kukri could similarly behead a man cleanly.

  
          Without warning, the sheathed kukri stood on its capped end, hilt of the blade in the air. A feminine voice echoed, like aloe on a burn, soothing his aching mind. _'We select this out of all other choices. He tells me this is a multipurpose blade that can be used to protect, to create, and to destroy. At the very least, this gives my child an opportunity to choose and thrive.'_

  
          My child? Archer's breathing hitched. It made sense now. The soul was three times larger after the injection and stabilization, but not directly because of the injection itself. After death, the child's mother had bonded with the demon shard, to protect her. It was an astounding, and most intimate realization. No one knew of this, he was sure of it. This was most likely due to the void nature of the shard which tended to hide most things from view. He intended for it to stay that way.

  
          Archer nodded, resuming a dignified stance. "As you wish." The soul plummeted down, absorbing into the hilt of the blade, which had already begun to disintegrate. The matter that once formed the blade fell into the throat of the sheath, and vanished into nothingness. The remaining sheath floated up, resting horizontally, and Archer reached out for it. It fell into his grip.

  
          "Now for the contract..." This was the part he feared the most, in reality. There was no guarantee that the contract wouldn't be permanently affixed to him, for that matter. A bead of nervous sweat formed at his temple.

  
        _'D- not wo-ry. We shall be fair.'_ First one voice, and then hers. Fire and ice, it seemed. It was time for Archer to step out of the barrier. On his signal, the scientists disabled the barrier. They were distastefully giddy, but his men were strung taut with stress.

  
          "At ease, boys. Have ye no faith in an old man?" Most mellowed out a little at the encouragement. He carried the ornate sheath over to the child, and popped open the latches that secured the plastic box in place. Two experts in eldritch magic fell into place behind him to his left and right, placing their hands on his shoulders. He lifted the top, her mewling becoming louder now. He placed the sheath beside him, and the infant leaned into it, somehow seeming to know. It clutched at it with tiny chubby fingers. The man rested his hand on it as well, and allowed the process to begin.

  
          He closed his eyes, and opened them in the void. The four voices echoed around him, and through him, they were unintelligible. He was basically acting as a connector at this point, allowing magic to flow through him freely. It was a strange and very unpleasant sensation. His whole body ached and grew warm, like an electrical conduit exceeding it's wattage limit.

  
          If that wasn't bad enough, now his mind was being assaulted with information. Flashes of knowledge filtered into him at lightning speed, and somehow he just knew things that he hadn't known before. He was the first wielder. The wielder would never be able to hurt the sword, and vice versa. The wielder would never be able to make the sword hurt themselves intentionally. Details of the contract flooded his mind, and he felt a familiar presence wrap around his heart. No, that was his soul. A burnt orange heart hovered out in front of him, with a dark band wrapping around it gently.

          That was his soul, he realized without knowing.

          _'It's done.'_  Her sorrowful voice stated.

  
          He opened his eyes once more. On the child's wrist, a delicate black chain had appeared, and he knew instinctively that it was the mark of the contract.

         

          Tears pricked at his eyes as the child opened theirs.

 

          Her eyes were charcoal grey...

 

  
          And they were beautiful.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Above the cut is Claire telling Pap and Undy her story.  
> Below the cut is Gaster telling the story, but from Archer's pov?  
> Don't think about it too much.  
> Consistency be damned!  
> But hey, at least we know a thing now.  
> Hehehehehehe....


End file.
